Lost in the End of the World
by CoralMaiden
Summary: Ellis, Nick, Rochelle, and Coach are caught in the middle of a Zombie Apocalypse. With everything thrown at them, will they all make it out alive? Will any of them? NickxEllis, possibly RochellexFrancis... slight ZoeyxElllis. M for later chapters as well as violence and language
1. The Beginning

Ellis ducked as his mother came at him again.

"Ma, wha's gotten into ya?" Ellis shouted, ducking another blow. He could see no recognition in her eyes; in fact he couldn't even see her once beautiful irises. The milky, blank eyes stared back at him in an unseeing manner. Emptying himself of emotion, he grabbed the nearest object to him and swung at the creature that had once been his mother. It connected and Ellis tried not to think as whatever had been attacking him fell to the ground, no longer moving.

Ellis let the guilt leave him. That thing may look like his mother, apart from the too pale skin and the soulless eyes, but it was definitely not his mother. He had two theories as he ran out the door to his truck -keeping his weapon (a frying pan) just in case- Either a.) Aliens had finally invaded and were taking over the human populace or b.) The bad news called the Green Flu had finally reached Savannah.

Speeding his truck back to his house he ran into his room, grabbing his hunting rifle and all the ammo he could carry as well as his medical kit. Sprinting back out, Ellis floored it as he rushed to town hoping to get a real hold on what the hell was going on.

"Shit!" Ellis hit the brakes, being too little too late and slamming into whatever poor soul that had decided to meander out onto the road and in front of his truck. Ellis jumped out of the truck.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…" Ellis mumbled as he went to get a good look at the person. He was reaching down to turn the person over, hoping they were still alive, when said person moved. They let out a low groan before getting back to their feet slowly.

"Hey, you all-" Ellis was about to say 'alright' when the creature turned to him. He felt his jaw drop as he automatically attacked the thing that had eyes milky like his mother's had been, and pale rotting skin falling off in places to reveal the white of a skull.

"That ain't healthy." Ellis murmured, turning his back and heading towards his truck. He got back in, continuing his hectic trek towards town; keeping a better eye out for any strange creatures that might decide to head out onto the road again.

Ellis ran into a few more wanderers, putting each of them out of their misery partially out of pity and partially because it was what seemed to be the right thing to do. The farther he drove the more of those things he would run into until he actually became a little worried.

"Man, I hope Keith made it outta this ok." Ellis blinked as he noticed a commotion a little farther into town. He noticed the creatures were surrounding something and decided to clear them out and find out what it was. Mowing down the critters he saw a very beaten and battered woman on the ground.

"Hold on now, let me heal ya." Ellis said, pulling out his med kit.

"Watch out!" The lady shouted, pulling a pistol out and shooting at something behind Ellis. He could feel the wind from the bullets and heard the three thumps of bodies hitting the ground.

"Thank you kindly, ma'am." Ellis said as he finished fixing the girl up, and then helped her up. "My name's Ellis."

"Rochelle, my name is Rochelle." She said, giving a soft smile to Ellis. "Thanks for saving me. I was pretty sure that it was over for me."

"Aw shucks, it ain't nothin'." Ellis said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So uh, any idea wha's goin' on around here?"

"I'd love to chat Ellis, but at the moment we need to get to the evacuation center. It's at the top of that motel over there so let's get a move on." Rochelle said, taking a deep breath and heading in the direction she had pointed out.

"Alright then." Ellis jogged after her, taking great pleasure in shooting down anything that had a mind to run at them.

They reached the motel without too much difficulty. Ellis was actually starting to enjoy himself and was a little put out upon reaching the motel. There was a sickening feeling in his gut though, as they had come upon no other survivors at this point.

"This ain't normal, but it sure is fun." Ellis commented as he ran up the stairs, taking down any creature to get in his way.

"You and I have a very different definition of 'fun'." Rochelle muttered as she tried to keep up with Ellis. "Where does this boy get all his energy?"

Ellis ran out of stairs finally, reaching the door to the roof and ran out.

"Hey! Where is everybody?" Ellis called. "Helloooooo? Anyone here?"

"This cannot be happening." Rochelle murmured, feeling defeated. There was a slam of a door and Rochelle and Ellis both turned their guns on the intruders.

"Whoa, easy now." A man in an expensive white suit said, his hands in the air as a gesture of surrender.

"Where're the helicopters?" Another man asked. He was slightly out of breath as he came over to stand by Rochelle and Ellis. "Aren't they supposed to be saving our asses?" He asked again, gesturing at the helicopters that were flying away from the motel.

"Seems like there has been a change of plans." Fancy suit growled, glowering at the retreating black figures. Ellis had since given up on finding anyone up there.

"So what all is goin' on?" Ellis asked as he looked over the new arrivals.

"We're in the middle of the end of the world." The white suited man exclaimed. He had a smirk on his face, but it lacked any humor.

"Now I wouldn't go and say something like that." The other man said, crossing his arms. "I'm Coach, by the way. And you two are?"

"Rochelle."

"My name is Ellis. Some people call me El. I prefer ya not call me El because that's a girl's name but if ya prefer to call me El I guess ya can."

"Do you ever get tired of talking, Overalls?"

Ellis looked at the man and his fancy, expensive suit. A grin split his face.

"Nope. Do you?" Ellis continued since he didn't expect an answer. "So what's your name, Mr. Gamblin' Man?"

"The name is Nick, but don't bother remembering it. I won't be sticking around long enough for it to matter."

"Ya know guys, seems to me the whirlybird was headed to the mall. I reckon we should head there too." Ellis said, turning back towards the door. There was some slight grumbling from the others but they followed.

"I guess I agree with the hick. We should probably get off this burning building, either way." Nick said, pulling his gun out and preparing for the bloodshed ahead. Rochelle and Coach weren't far behind, wondering what kind of hell they'd have to go through before they could reach rescue.

The group didn't have too much trouble fighting their way back down, although Nick kept complaining about the blood that was getting on his expensive suit. To that Ellis had to say "It's you or them man."

Everyone started to take on a kind of role in the group as they continued to the mall. Ellis was the one who constantly put himself in danger, running ahead of the group and having a little too much fun killing the zombies. The first time he really realized what they were though, he made sure to get across to everyone that he knew this was coming. Even Rochelle gave him a hard time over that comment.

Things had been going pretty smoothly until they ran into their first horde. Coach had been standing a little too close to a rather bloated zombie when Nick had shot it, covering Coach in a gross green slime. That's when the screams were heard, and the thundering as hundreds of feet came racing in their direction.

"Ohhh, this is bad." Rochelle said as she hurried to reload her gun before firing into the creatures coming from every direction. Ellis whooped and began mowing them down with a machine gun he had picked up recently. Coach was a little slow getting to the party because of the slime that had gotten into his eyes, preventing him from seeing anything clearly. Fortunately for him, Ellis kept an eye out and took down any zombies that had been headed in his direction. Nick took zombie exterminating very seriously, and let nothing distract him as he cut down the zombies running to them. By the time the horde made it to them, they could no longer be called a horde.

When only stragglers were left, everyone kind of watched as Ellis went at them with an Axe.

"What's the matter kid? Can't hit an actual target?" Nick jabbed at Ellis, who just grinned and finished off the nearest zombies.

"Hey you three, I think I see a safe room in the distance!" Rochelle called, a few feet away from the three men. The three of them took off in the direction she pointed, the promise of some rest and a chance to take care of any wounds giving them new energy. To be able to spend a few moments without worrying about getting attacked… that sounded really good at a time like this.

Ellis watched everyone's back as they headed to the safe room. He was about to head in himself when something thick and slimy wound its way around his neck and torso and pulled him back. He was only able to let out a shout of surprise before he was being drug backwards.

"Ellis!" Rochelle shouted, causing the other two men to turn. They took off after Ellis, only stopping to deal with a few monsters. Ellis struggled against his binds but couldn't seem to free himself.

Shooting in the direction that Ellis was being pulled, Nick attracted more attention instead of helping.

"See if you can see it before you shoot!" Coach called, fending off a new wave of the sickly creatures plaguing Savannah. Nick ignored Coach at first, chasing and shooting without regard for what he actually hit as long as he didn't hit one of the survivors. Finally, Nick saw the creature that had its grip on Ellis. There was a puff of smoke in the near distance and the appendage gripping Ellis went slack. He tore it off and tossed it aside, trying to catch his breath. By the time he could breathe normally again Rochelle and Coach had caught up to where he was.

"Come on, Young'un." Rochelle said, helping Ellis up and helping him back in the direction of the safe house. Coach and Nick covered their backs.

Collapsing in a relieved heap on a couch, the four survivors allowed themselves to relax if only a little bit.

"Man that was some crazy Shit!" Ellis said. He didn't sound all that bothered that he was almost choked to death by a tongue.

"What the hell is going on around here?" Nick said. "I heard Savannah was supposed to be a nice place, not neighbor eat neighbor."

"Well, this is not what Savannah used to be like." Coach replied, tying gauze around a shallow wound on his arm to stem the blood flow.

"It's the Green Flu; that epidemic that has been spreading for a little while." Rochelle explained. "I was here to cover a story on it so I know a little bit about what to expect, although I didn't expect to be caught in the middle of everything."

"To start, what was that thing that tried to drag Ellis across town?"

"Those are smokers; they capture you with long tongues and choke their victims while dragging them to where ever they are hiding. Aside from Smokers there are a few other 'special' zombies. Jockeys will jump on your back and try to drag you into trouble. Spitters have highly toxic stomach acid that they enjoy spitting at people. Boomers, I believe, are like that bloated zombie that Nick blew up earlier and caused the horde to become aware to our location. Hunters are just bad news, as are witches. Don't mess with a witch, she'll tear you up good in a couple of seconds and that will be the end of your story." As Rochelle spoke the battered group cleaned and cared for their wounds and reloaded their supplies of ammo.

"Did I ever tell you about the time Keith-" Ellis started but Nick cut him off short.

"You know, I'm really trying hard to like you but you just keep pissing me off."

"I don't mean ta bother ya." Ellis didn't sound all that apologetic.

"For someone not meaning to, you are awfully good at it."

"Boys, we should probably plan a strategy to get to the mall. We need to get moving soon or by the time we get there all the helicopters will have left without us again." Rochelle cut in.

"The sooner we get there the sooner I can get away from you three." Nick grumbled.

"Anyway," Coach said, "the mall isn't too far from here. If we keep heading in the direction we have been we'll reach it shortly."

"Did I ever tell you about the time Keith tried to rob a whole mall? He was doing it on the count of a dare and cuz someone said he couldn't."

"Sweetie is this really a good time?" Rochelle broke in before Ellis could continue.

"Okay," Ellis said, "but Keith lost that dare."

"Fascinating…" Nick mumbled. "Are we ready to head out?"

"Yeah, let's go." Everyone grabbed up their preferred weapons and a med kit and headed out. There were a few infected waiting for them but nothing serious. Ellis took great pleasure in blowing them to pieces, leading the way.

Back out in the fray the survivors didn't say much. The main noise came from the nearby Infected and Ellis' stories.

"And tha' is why ya shouldn't go a scuba divin' with crocodiles as Keith found out." Ellis finished.

"That's great sweetie." Rochelle said, a little perplexed by the sudden lack of noise and infected.

"Did you feel that?" Coach was looking around, trying to pinpoint the cause of the rumbling in the ground.

"Holy Shit!" Ellis yelled, pointing at a form coming in their direction. "It is the amazin' Hulk!"

Everyone else stood silently, jaws dropping to the ground as the giant beast lumbered toward them.

"Well? What are ya waitin' for? An invitation? Shoot it!" Ellis said, letting loose a barrage of bullets on the monster. It roared with fury and stampeded toward Ellis. This seemed to snap everyone else out of their stupor.

"Molotov!" Nick yelled, throwing the bottle and catching the beast on fire.

"Great! It's giant, it's pissed, and now it's on fire and still coming at us! Great Job Nick!" Rochelle fired a full clip into it and it didn't even phase the monster. It slammed into Ellis, knocking him aside before swinging at Nick, missing by a few inches.

"Man, that thing packs a wallop!" Ellis said, flinching as he stood up.

"You alright boy?" Coach looked over at Ellis while reloading his gun.

"I can keep fightin'." Ellis said, continuing his bullet assault on the ugly creature.

The thing finally collapsed with a roar, falling a few feet in front of Nick.

"What the hell was that thing?" Nick did not look pleased. The survivors regrouped, Ellis slowly limping over to where the others stood. Nick pointedly looked away, asking Coach if the cut on his arm was ok. He didn't wait for an answer before he began bandaging it up.

"Come here Sweetie. I'll take care of you." Rochelle called Ellis over who smiled gratefully at her.

"Did I tell you about the time Keith tried taking on a gang all by him-self? They didn't take lightly to that and-"

"Ellis?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Not a good time."

"Yes ma'am."

After finishing up the survivors were only a little worse for wear.

"So how much farther until we reach the mall?" Rochelle asked, adjusting the guns on her back.

"God I hate malls." Nick grumbled to himself. Ellis clapped him on the back.

"After fightin' a slew of zombies, I'm purdy sure y'all survive the mall, Nick."

"Do _Not_ touch me, Overalls." Nick brushed Ellis' hand off his shoulder. Ellis shrugged and took up the lead again, trying to remember how many zombies he had killed so he could tell Keith later.

Ellis was on a zombie killing spree and loving every minute of it. Nick, deciding the hick was having too much fun, stole Ellis' hat and began killing zombies with renewed vigor.

Ellis froze, shoulders tensing and nothing moving except his eyes that followed Nick's every movement.

"Gimme back my hat, Nick!" Ellis warned, slowly starting in Nick's direction; knocking zombies away with his bat.

"I dunno y'all, I was a thinkin I'da keep this 'ere hat." Nick mocked in a thick southern drawl.

"This ain't funny no more Nick…" Ellis said, trying again to get his hat back. He made a grab for it but Nick dodged, deftly keeping out of Ellis' grasp.

"Tis funny fer me." Nick chortled. He was completely caught off guard when a fist connected with his jaw. He was knocked backwards and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Ellis' hat flew a few feet away.

"Man, ya all went an' got zombie brains on it." Ellis said, picking up his hat and brushing it off before settling it back on his head. "This hat is importan' to me Nick an' I don' mind y'all makin fun a me but don' mess with the hat."

Nick shoved Ellis' offered hand away, brushing himself off. Ellis fired a few times and finished off a couple straggler zombies that had been about to go after Nick. Throughout the episode Rochelle and Coach stayed silent; only making sure that Ellis and Nick didn't get killed by the zombies during their lapse of logical thinking.

"Don't mess with the boy's hat." Coach said, chuckling at Nick who had been rubbing the sore spot on his jaw.

"Mall Ho!" Ellis called, pointing ahead. The survivors were about to charge ahead when they heard sobbing.

"Hullo? Is someone in need a help?" Ellis yelled, looking around for a figure in distress.

"Shush Ellis, don't startle the witch!" Rochelle warned.

"Now Rochelle, that ain't very nice. Somebody jus' needs a lil help." Ellis scolded, continuing his search for the person crying. He watched, a little confused as his comrades took up hiding places.

"No, Ellis. Remember? Witches are bad news. Their warning is sobs. If you startle them, you're as good as dead."

Ellis froze as it sank in and began trying to be quieter like the other three were when there was a scream. The witch had spotted Ellis!

"Ellis, watch out!" Coach tried shooting at the furiously swiping claws. This pissed the witch off more and she was going to go after Coach when Nick shot her in the head. She fell, claws outstretched. The screaming had alerted a horde which swarmed the survivors. Nick covered Ellis who was still lying on the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Hang in there, kid."

The horde seemed endless (but don't all hordes?)… as one infected fell, there would be more to take its place. It was pretty cramped between the zombies.

"I don't think I can hold out much longer." Coach had taken several wounds and was having trouble staying on his feet.

"Almost out of Ammo!" Rochelle called. Nick had long since run out of ammo and had taken to using a bat he had borrowed from Ellis. Not like Ellis needed it at the moment, considering he was still lying on the ground motionless. Nick had to keep checking for the rise and fall of his chest to make sure that he was still of this world.

Rochelle used a Katana as the horde kept coming, cutting the infected down slowly but surely. Although Coach had believed he couldn't last much longer, when your life depends on it you do what you believe you couldn't. Even in the dire situation the small group did not give up and eventually the horde thinned until there was nothing left.

"Hey, we need a med kit over here." Nick called. Coach ran over, moving to hand the kit to Nick. The gambler shook his head, motioning for him to go ahead. Rochelle and Nick stayed on guard while Coach worked to bandage Ellis up.

"He's lost a lot of blood."

"Let's see if we can find a safe room so we can heal up and get some rest." Nick lead them into the mall. Rochelle and Coach supported Ellis as they all limped behind Nick.

They were able to find a room without too much more trouble. After locking the door Nick allowed a little bit of relief.

"We made that by the skin of our teeth."

"Thank you, Nick, for stating the obvious." Rochelle muttered while setting Ellis down on one of two beds.

"Do you guys see any food in this joint? I'm starving!" Coach asked while rummaging around in the cabinets.

"There'll probably be sustenance in the fridge." Rochelle called to him as she re-bandaged Ellis' wounds with one of the extra med kits in the room. She bandaged up herself and Coach next, while Coach munched on a ham sandwich. Nick refused help, bandaging himself up.

"I'm still alive?" the voice was worn and cracked but still strong.

"That's debatable." Nick said, coming in and flicking Ellis' hat.

"Watch the hat, man." Ellis readjusted his hat; slowly because he was still sore but he couldn't have his hat being even a little crooked.

"You're awake! Here, eat this." Rochelle shoved a heavily stuffed ham sandwich into Ellis' mouth. "How are you feeling sweetie?"

Ellis mumbled something unintelligible. He decided to chew and swallow before attempting to communicate again.

"Much better, thank ya ma'am." Ellis said, grinning. He flinched as he tried to sit up.

"You need to rest, kid." Nick said to which Ellis responded by stopping his attempt to sit up and relaxed, finishing his sandwich.

"I think we all do." Rochelle added.

"CEDA will still be there in the morning."

"It's sleep or die." Nick said, "Although we'll probably die anyways… we'll have a better chance of survival with some rest."

"Did I tell you guys about the time that Keith made me believe we had died? It was really weird thinkin' I was a ghost and shit and he got me to believe I could walk through walls and when-"

"Ellis, get some sleep boy." Coach said.

"Ok, but turns out Keith can't walk through walls but he can bust'm down."

"So I'm off to bed." Rochelle attempted to hide a yawn and failed.

"Seems like we're gonna have to share beds or two will have to sleep on the floor." Coach said.

"Did you want to sleep near Nick?" Rochelle whispered to Coach.

"I'm going to stay up and watch the door and Ellis." Nick volunteered, grabbing a chair and getting comfortable.

"Alright Nick, Coach and I are going to get some sleep. Scream if there's trouble." Rochelle yawned again, heading into the other room. Coach followed her, another couple of sandwiches in his hand.

"Sleep well…" Nick was a little snide, but no more than normal.

"How's yer jaw feelin'?" Ellis stared at the ceiling, trying not to breathe too deeply.

"Fine. You should get some sleep."

"But whadda bout you?" Ellis shifted so that he was facing Nick.

"Out of everyone I'm feeling the best. I'll sleep later."

"Alright, I'll take up guard in a coupla hours then." Ellis was asleep within a few minutes, leaving Nick to his thoughts.

How had he gotten himself into this mess? He had been on his way to a gambling vacation, having plans already to screw a few suckers out of their money. He had thought the Green Flu had just been a rumor spread by the government, an attempt to cover up something more sinister. Then he encountered a zombie and had realized just how real the Green Flu was. It hadn't taken long for the disease to attack the little town he had been staying in. Before he knew it he had met up with Coach and in search for an evacuation center. Man, life sure enjoyed its pranks on human kind. If there was a God, which Nick highly doubted, he was laughing at them right now.

"Nick, your turn to get a lil shut-eye." Nick was broken out of his thoughts as Ellis waited for him to move.

"You need to keep resting Ellis. We need you in tip top fighting condition if we want to get out of this in one piece."

"I slept plenty Nick. Now it's your turn." Ellis stubbornly stared Nick down, refusing to go back to sleep.

"Well I'm not going to sleep so it would be a waste for you to use energy to stay awake as well."

"I'm fine. You needa lil sleep too." Ellis grabbed the only other chair, setting it next to Nick's and plopping down into it. He twitched uncomfortably as the bandages pulled at his wounds and tugged on his stitches.

"Well fine then, I don't know why I care."

There was silence for a couple minutes and Ellis stared obstinately ahead. As it showed Nick wasn't going to give, Ellis came up with another plan… when you can't outright win, Compromise.

"Hey Nick, I'll get sommore sleep only if ya join me."

"Jeez Ellis, didn't know you were that type." Nick's smirk got across all intentions with its lack of innocence.

"Ya know wha' I mean." Ellis grumbled, his face a little red.

"Alright, so what makes you think I want you to get more sleep so badly that I'd do what you want?"

"I figure in the fact yer fightin' me so hard."

"Because I _really_ care if you get more sleep or not…"

"Ya seem ta be tryin awful hard not to really care." Ellis wasn't going to give in until Nick was sleeping.

"Well… I mean there haven't been any zombies around and I am pretty tired. Don't know why I'm trying to be the hero anyways… oh what the hell? Why not…" Nick got up from the chair, feeling weariness hit him like freight train. If he wanted to survive tomorrow sleep was probably a really good idea. He didn't even care at this point if Ellis went back to sleep or not; he just knew he needed some sleep.

Before Nick knew it he had crashed on the bed and was out like a light.

Nick awoke in comfort. He didn't remember the last time he had slept that well or the last time he had been so warm. Nick snuggled further into the warmth, perfectly content to go back to sleep. Then the warmth shifted, cuddling closer to Nick. He was so startled awake that he fell out of bed.

"Ouch! What the Hell?" Nick heard snickering and got up to see Rochelle and Coach trying to withhold their mirth.

"Aw Nick, I didn't know you could be so cute! I wish I had a camera." Rochelle teased, purposely giving Nick a hard time.

"Man, I didn't even know your gate swung like that." Coach chuckled, pulling out items to make some sandwiches before they had to leave.

"Gate? What?" Nick struggled to comprehend with his sleep fogged brain. The telltale signs of a headache had begun to set in. He turned back to the bed and it all became clear.

"If that's how you watch over someone remind me not to ever get into a situation where I need to be watched."

"Like he'd even want to cuddle with you, Coach."

Nick watched the hick who was still peacefully fast asleep; his hand reaching out to where Nick had been. Nick felt a burning in his stomach and did the only thing he could think of.

"Wake up, Overalls. We need to get a move on!" Nick called as he grabbed one of Coach's sandwiches and threw it at the hick's head.

"Time ta get up?" Ellis' voice was thick with sleep. He sat up, minding his wounds, and yawned. He looked groggily at the remains of the sandwich projectile before grabbing the ham and munching on it.

"Hey Nick, you just wasted a perfectly good sandwich. You owe me now." Coach grumbled, making himself another sandwich.

"We're in the middle of a Fucking Apocalypse and you're worried about _food_!" Nick snapped. He didn't like being made the fool.

"Boy, I do not like your attitude." Coach growled.

"Whatever." Nick really didn't care at the moment. "Just tell me when we're leaving."

"What's gotten into Nick?" Ellis asked as Nick stormed into another room.

"A certain little country boy." Rochelle hinted.

"Oh." Ellis could feel his face heat up.

"You guys were snuggled closer than two lovebirds." Coach joked, feeling a little better since Nick had left.

"Aw man, now Nick is gonna hate me. I didn' mean ta get up close ta him. I was jus' sleepin'." Ellis tried to explain. He decided the best thing to do was apologize to Nick. Heading into the room Nick had just escaped to, be found the gambler checking to make sure his guns were loaded with ammo.

"Look Nick, I'm sorry. I didn' mean ta make ya uncomfortable."

Nick ignored him, focusing on the gun. Ellis left than; deciding that hanging around would only make it worse. Nick brushed it off after a little while, putting on his poker-face when he rejoined the group.

"So Nick, are you read to go?" Rochelle asked, guns packed and med kit on her back.

"Baby, I was born ready."

They stormed out of the room, taking infected down left and right.

"Wha' is tha- AH! Get It OFF!" Ellis yelled as something clung to his back.

"Jocky!" Rochelle called.

"Thanks for the info, Sweetheart." Nick said, shooting the Jockey clean in the head. Ellis rubbed his face where the Jockey had gripped.

"Good for Nuthin' Back Humper." Ellis laughed, taking down more zombies. "God damn does tha' thing leave a nasty aftertaste."

The group made their way through the mall, looking for any sign of un-diseased life.

"I dunno bout y'all but I hava feelin' there ain't no rescue here." Ellis said out of the blue, after searching for what felt like a couple of hours.

"Hey, it is my job to be pessimistic. The Dark doesn't suit you, Overalls."

"I think he has a point though." Coach mentioned in defeat.

"Point or not, Cynicism is my thing." Nick finished that statement point blank. "What the hell is _that?_" Nick pointed at a bright yellow hazmat suit.

"CEDA?" Rochelle offered.

"We're Saved!"

"I wouldn't be so sure, Coach." Nick said as the hazmat suit turned to them. The too pale face snarled before running at Coach. There was a bang and the zombie CEDA dropped to the ground.

"Aw Shit man…" Ellis said, wiping his brow. "We are so screwed."

"Wait, look! There's a map!" Rochelle ran over behind a desk to study a map pinned on the wall. "Seems that our only hope lies in making it to New Orleans."

"Aw Shit! Looks like we're gonna go cross country joy ridin'!" Ellis' excitement was almost palpable. "Betcha there's a car here in the mall somewhere."

"Alright! Let's find a car. Better than having no plan."

The 4 survivors wandered further into the mall, dealing with a couple zombies here and there. There wasn't much trouble at all until _somebody_ set an alarm off.

"ELLIS!" Rochelle cried out as zombies came from every direction.

"What? It wasn't me!"

"Instead of playing the 'Who Did it' game, we should focus on shutting the alarm off." Nick said, mowing down zombies as he headed up the escalators, looking for an 'OFF' switch.

"Good Plan." Coach agreed, covering Nick's back.

"Smoker!" Rochelle yelled right before a tongue hooked around Nick and tore him off his feet.

"Nick!" Ellis shouted, shooting the smoker. The 4 choked on smoke as they further fought the onslaught of zombies.

"Found it." Coach shut off the alarm, then headed back to the group who were finishing off yet another wave of the horde. Silence set over the mall as the zombies were cleared out.

"Damn! Where do they all come from?"

"No Way!" Ellis shouted randomly, running over to a poster. "Jimmy Gibbs jr. was takin photos today! Damned Apocalypse…. I coulda got my picture takin' with Jimmy Gibbs jr. and his car!"

"Uh….Jimmy Gibbs jr.?"

"Only the greatest man alive! He's my hero! Hey, his car should be in the mall… we could fill it up and use that!"

"Alright… so the plan is: find this Jimmy Gibbs car or die… I like the first option."

"Ok, but I'm driving." Nick said, studying the poster Ellis had gone ga-ga over.

"I think the man who came up with the plan should drive." Ellis said seriously. His voice left no room for argument.

"I see two men here, and neither had that plan… Either way, if you get killed I'm driving." Nick was a little surprised that Ellis just smiled.

"I hope you're jokin' Nick." Coach said, taking down a couple more CEDA suits.

"OH MY GOD! THERE IT IS! THE JIMMY GIBBS CAR!" Ellis practically squealed… except that it was manly.

"Wow…" Nick muttered, unenthused. He had been hoping for something a little more sporty but… if it got them out of the mall… "Now where's the fuel?"

"Upstairs!" Rochelle ran up the stairs, coming back down with fuel.

"That was a little too easy…"

Ellis wasn't really listening. "Isn't this just the purdiest car ya ever seen? It is just so goddamned beautiful!"

"Hey Ellis, I think I found your hero." Nick gestured with his gun as a zombie wearing Jimmy Gibbs jr. getup ran toward them.

"NOOOOOOO…." Ellis wailed. Nick had to use a full clip of ammo before the Jimmy Gibbs zombie went down.

"You'll be ok Ellis, just do him proud when you drive his car." Nick said, patting Ellis on the back.

Rochelle and Coach looked at Nick in shock.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Nick?" Nick brushed them off and covered Ellis' back as he went to get a couple more cans of fuel.

The car was full and the gang was ready to load up when a charger came stumbling in.

"Protect the Jimmy Gibbs Car!" Ellis yelled as he fired bullet after bullet into the charger.

"Man, that thing didn't stand a chance." Coach said, slapping Ellis on the back. They watched the charger collapse.

"Let's get outta here!" Rochelle said, hopping into the car. It was a little squished but as Ellis hit the gas and they broke out of the mall, running over a few zombies on the way, it was well worth it.


	2. The Passing

So Part 2 and I'm starting to get this figured out better… This is my first fanfiction but not my first attempt at writing something. Don't really have much to say honestly… I'm having fun writing this and I plan on finishing it… first big writing project I'd ever finish but I seriously have a drive for this one and I will get it done… Anyway, I hope you enjoy… (thanks for taking the time to read this if you dead) and a quick disclaimer, of course I don't own the characters in here; that's why it's called fanfiction and my only gain from this is enjoying the freedom of writing…

CHAPTER 2

"Sweet home Alabama, where the skies are so blue!"

"Sweet home Alabama, Lord I'm coming home to you!" Coach and Ellis sang in two part harmony… meaning they were both horribly off key.

"Why would you sing that? You both are just a couple of silly, small town, country hicks." Nick complained; annoyance and humor evident in his voice.

"You know you want to join them Nick."

"As much as you do, Rochelle."

Rochelle joined in with the other two, singing a little extra off key for Nick's benefit.

"Oh my Fucking God, get me out of Here! Seriously Ellis, pull over. I'll walk. Or maybe someone could call me a taxi." The other three laughed, knowing that dreadful singing or not, Nick would stick with them until they were at least rescued.

The merry band enjoyed their trip, making sure to stock up on ammo and provisions whenever they passed a town. All was going well until they ran into a bridge that was up. They got out to check what was going on.

"Hey, I think there's someone up there." Coach said as they got closer.

"Hellooo up there!" Ellis called.

"Hi! Awesome car man!" was the reply. As they got closer they saw a young woman in pink.

"Oh my god… she is beautiful." Ellis said, completely star stuck.

"Is there any way for you to lower the bridge?" Coach called up.

"Oh thank God, I'm not the last woman alive." Rochelle waved up at the new found person.

"Sorry, no can do." A tall, muscular man covered in tattoos answered.

"Why the hell not?" Nick felt his temper rise as he watched Ellis stare at the girl in pink.

"Because we can't." He answered.

"This is Francis by the way. I'm Zoey."

"Zoey…." Ellis murmured. "What a beautiful name for an Angel…"

"Will you just lower the goddamn bridge?" Nick yelled at Francis.

"No." He said simply, smirking at Nick.

"I swear I will shoot that goddamn smirk off your goddamn face." Nick growled.

"Will you please lower the bridge?" Rochelle tried.

"I'm sorry but we really can't." Francis' entire demeanor changed as he answered Rochelle.

"We could if you came over to this side. And brought some fuel with you…" Zoey offered.

"Any idea on how we can get over?" Rochelle asked. To Nick she whispered "See what happens when you're nice?" Nick just scowled and shook his head. Ellis couldn't stop staring at Zoey. He kept talking to himself about how amazing she was.

"There's an under the river tour or something…."

"Ok, we'll meet back with you in a little bit." Rochelle called before turning and walking away.

"Any ideas on where to find the tour?" Nick asked.

"Nope, but it's got to be around here somewhere."

"Zoey Zoey Zoey Zoey Zoey…. I jus' can't get tired a tha'…. Zoey Zoey Zoey Zoey… Man I love that name." Ellis walked around in a daze… making sure to kill zombies but so distracted he walked right into a pole.

"Oh Shit!" Nick yelled when he heard a scream from a witch. "Damn it Ellis!" Ellis had just broken out of his stupor to give a shout of surprise as he tripped over a witch. She would have torn him to bits if Nick hadn't been paying attention.

"What? The front wasn't enough? You need to get the back to match too?" Nick jabbed. "You know, if you want Zoey's name on you that bad I can just tattoo it on your ass. I'm sure she'd like that."

"Don't pay Nick any mind, he's just jealous." Rochelle reassured. Nick was so taken aback by the _untrue_ comment that he was speechless.

The group was quiet as they searched for the under the river tour. It was only their luck that they'd run into a zombified wedding.

"This is strangely de ja vu." Nick muttered.

"Were ya married before Nick?"

"Once upon a time Ellis…. It didn't end well."

"Well let's get out of here; this place is giving me the creeps. Plus I'm getting hungry. I wish burger tank was still running." Coach stretched, yawning as he took down what could be assumed as the zombie parents.

"They are so cute at that age." Rochelle said sarcastically, taking down a creepy zombie flower girl.

"If anyone sees the cake, give me a holler!"

"Anything for you big guy." Rochelle said, patting Coach on the back. Everyone froze as a loud wail tore through the air.

"Add crying bridesmaids and this is my wedding." Nick looked around, trying to spot the witch.

"You know, this wedding must be a sign! Fate wants me to marry Zoey!"

"Ellis, keep this up and I'm going to feed you to the Witch." Nick pointed at the dais where the witch sat sobbing.

"So that's a yes on letting me borrow your suit for my wedding?" Ellis asked, grinning.

"Only if Zoey wears that dress." Nick pointed to the witch again. She was wearing a torn and tattered, blood stained wedding dress.

"Nick, I am too young to die." Ellis sounded a little less sure of his invincibility for that moment but then shrugged it off. "Plus, I bet I could find a purdier dress from a mall or sumthin'."

"Then you can find a suit." Nick reasoned.

"As fantastic as your conversation is you should probably be a little more quiet." Coach had a finger pressed to his lips.

"Fine with me, this place brings back bad memories anyway." Nick shuddered a little before moving on, trying not to startle the Witch while finishing off the best man and possibly a cousin or two.

"Oh hell yeah!" Ellis shouted in triumph. The witches wails stopped and she stared at the loud intruder.

"Ellis, stop moving and shut up." Nick mouthed to him. Ellis either didn't hear him or ignored him because he continued with what had excited him.

"The midnight riders!" Ellis cranked up the volume on the stereo. The witch chose that minute to scream. She went on a rampage, dead roses and white plastic flying everywhere. She paused to stare at Nick for a moment before charging at Ellis. She tackled him before Coach could put enough bullets in her to shut her down. Ellis was lucky to escape with a few shallow cuts.

"Woowee! Looked like that witch had the hots for ya Nick!" Ellis said, laughing from the adrenaline rush.

"Maybe she thought he was her groom." Nick looked at Rochelle like she was crazy.

"Better Nick than a Tank." Coach pointed out.

"Man, that woulda been a hell uva weddn'!" Ellis cheered as they finished off any undead wedding guests.

"You definitely aren't the sharpest tool in the shed." Coach said to Ellis, giving the boy a look that said loud and clear 'you are crazy'.

"That's what I've been saying!" Nick said.

"Yeah, the boy is definitely crazy but he is the glue that holds us together." Rochelle said, smiling at Ellis who grinned back.

"Thanks Rochelle. Hey, you think ya can be honest with me? Do I have any chance with that Zoey girl?"

"No Ellis, you missed your chance." Nick said. "You had your chance to impress her and you blew it."

"Impress her! I know, I'll kill so many zombies that she'll jus' hafta love me!"

"Ellis…." Nick tried to cut in.

"No wait, I know! I'll kill a tank in her honor….. And then _Name_ it after her! Oh Ellis, you are a genius!" Ellis pranced around as the group continued to look for the tour. They never did find the wedding cake, either, much to Coach's disappointment.

"It would probably have been bad anyway, Coach." Rochelle tried to cheer Coach up. When she found him an unspoiled box of donuts he was back to his chipper self.

"Freak! Look Out! Tank incoming!" Coach yelled.

"I got this one!" Ellis said, attacking the tank with all he had.

"Don't be stupid, boy." Coach warned as he moved to help Ellis. Nick blocked his path.

"Let him handle it."

"Nick, don't make me make you move!" Coach growled. Ellis was running while shooting as the Tank chased after him. The tank caught up and knocked him into a wall.

"Nick! Move! Otherwise Ellis is gonna get himself killed!" Coach said, shoving Nick out of the way and firing at the Tank. It had been about to flatten Ellis but Coach's distraction drew it's attention. In its lapse of focusing on Ellis, the mechanic shot it clean through the head. It keeled over, almost landing on Ellis.

"I killed this in Zoey's honor! It shall be named Zoey and it will be a testament of my love ta her." Ellis stated, putting a foot on the still form. "Hey, where's Rochelle?"

"Rochelle!" Coach yelled, looking around.

"Shit!" Nick shouted. "Rochelle, what happened to you?"

"Because she's gonna answer ya." Ellis scoffed as he started looking around.

"You never know!" Nick shot back.

"I'm over here you bastards!" Rochelle yelled.

"Rochelle! You're alive!" Coach said, running over to where Rochelle was trapped.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get these things off of me!"

Coach and Ellis helped remove the pile of zombies from Rochelle's legs as Nick supervised and shot down any zombie to take interest in them.

"I thought you were dead…" Coach said, giving her a hug.

"It'll take more than this to finish me off."

"What happened anyways?" Ellis asked, helping Rochelle up.

"While you guys were attacked by a tank I got puked on by a boomer and attacked by a horde. Needless to say one of the horde knocked me down but I kept fighting anyway. Lucky that I didn't run out of ammo before the horde ran out of zombies."

"That is Bad Ass Ro!" Ellis praised.

"Well come on Romeo, I saw a sign for the tour. Gotta get ya back to your 'purdy' girlfriend." Rochelle teased, shoving Ellis slightly.

"She ain't my girlfriend… yet." Ellis smiled, putting extra energy into zombie slaughter. Nick felt pissed and he didn't understand why… What difference did it make to him if Ellis thought he was in love. Nick felt his gut clench… he shrugged it off, deciding to pay the feeling no heed.

"No, I am not going down there. It'll stain my suit!"

"The suit that is covered in Zombie splatter?"

"Yes, that one! It's expensive!" Nick looked down into the sewer with disdain. "You know what? I'll wait with the car while you guys go open the bridge."

"I'm not thinkin' ya will." Ells said. That was all the warning Nick got before Ellis tackled him, both of them submerging in the murky water.

"Overalls, I'm going to kill you!" Nick came up sputtering.

"Yes, I'm sure ya will Nick… but ya hafta catch me first!" Ellis kept just out of Nick's reach.

"I hate you, kid." Nick ground out when he finally gave up.

"Well, I still like you, Nick." Ellis said earnestly.

"Your suit is already ruined, fancy man, so you might as well continue with us." Rochelle said, going to pat Nick on the shoulder and then thinking better of it.

Trying to convince him-self that it wasn't so bad Nick began to talk to himself…. "It's just water… it's just water….."

"It don't smell like water, Nick…."

"Shut up Overalls, I need this."

"Jus' sayin'."

The group travelled in silence. It was eerie not to hear the moans of the infected or the special infected. It was strange not feeling constantly in danger.

"I guess even zombies can't stand the smell down here." Rochelle quipped.

"Fine with me. Now if only there was food down here…."

"Man Coach, I dunno how you can think a food in a place like this." Ellis held his nose.

"Coach always thinks of food, Overalls. And by the way… you owe me a new suit." Nick said as they stumbled further into the murky water.

"Sure Nick, whatever ya say." Ellis chortled. "Ya know, outta all a this happenin' I found some stuff I shoulda been grateful for."

"Really Sweetie? Like what?" Rochelle inquired politely.

"Well like my momma's homemade bread an' fixin' up cars with Keith an' Dave an' watchin' this kind of life as a horror movie but bein' able to shut if off…."

"I miss my wife's cooking." Coach said. "She knew all of my favorites –which is a lot, I'm not a picky man- and I miss attempting to take the boys to State. Having a life where you weren't always worrying about dying was nice."

"I miss my family. And I was just getting the promotion I had been working for when this disease hit. I just want to wake up from this nightmare." Rochelle slouched a moment, allowing a little self-pity to hang over her before shrugging it off. "What do you miss, Nick?"

"Oh no, you are _not_ dragging me into this sappy love fest."

"Oh come on Nick, it's not like it's some big secret. Whaddya miss from the good ol' zombie free days?" Ellis was more than a little curious about Nick's background.

"Fine, fine, here's the honest truth. There's nothing I miss. I didn't live a very 'good, clean' life. Each night was how much money I could win from gambling and what brainless woman I'd trick into bed with me and rob a good sum of money from. Looking back at what I'm losing because of the apocalypse I realize I'm losing money and sex. That's sure a hell of a life." Nick sounded a little disgusted with him-self. He wouldn't admit it but there were times he'd wonder if it had been better if he died…

"Well I guess this 'pocalypse is your wake-up call Nick. When we get outta here you can turn yer life around." Ellis said, that bright, chipper smirk splitting his face.

"That sounds great kid." Nick said, giving him one of his rare smiles. Rochelle and Coach stayed quiet, letting the two have their moment.

After an hour or so of trudging later they reached the end of the tour.

"I can breathe again!" Coach said with relief. It was short lived as he noticed all the zombies that turned to look at him.

"Looks like we got a lot of butt whoopin' to do." Rochelle said as she ran at the group.

"Smoker!" Ellis yelled just as the tongue whipped out and grabbed Nick. Ellis couldn't see the smoker clear enough to shoot it.

"Nick!" Ellis chased after Nick, paying no attention to the zombies that tore and scratched at him. Ellis got a grip of the tongue wrapped around Nick's chest and pulled, trying to tear it off of Nick. He quickly gave up on that and pulled out an axe he had recently acquired, running ahead and chopping off the tongue. This released a cloud of smoke that sent Ellis into a coughing fit and allowed the common infected to inflict massive damage on him. It wasn't nearly as bad as the wounds from the witch but it weakened him considerably.

Ellis cleared out the group surrounding him, blood tricking from all of his new wounds. He staggered a little before regaining his footing just in time to have a Hunter attack him.

Nick shot the hunter in the back three times, taking satisfaction as it slumped off of Ellis. Sprinting over to Ellis he held his breath as he saw the damage inflicted on the kid.

"Shit, you're torn up really bad Ellis. Rochelle, do you have a med kit?" Rochelle's response was to toss it to Nick. "No, you need to come heal him!"

"Kinda busy Nick." Rochelle said.

"Coach?"

"Just heal him Nick, it won't kill you." Coach called back, grappling with a zombie that had grabbed his gun.

"No, one of you do it." Nick called back.

"For Christ's sake." Ellis said, grabbing the med kit and bandaging himself up. Nick covered him while he did.

Ellis got back to his feet, shaking his arms and legs before grabbing his grenade launcher and blowing up dozens of zombies at a time.

"How are you holding up?" Nick asked.

"Fine. It's all good." Ellis said, smiling. He went back to kicking considerable zombie butt. Nick was impressed.

"Guys, I see a safe room!" Coach called, pointing. They all ran in that direction, slamming the door shut just in time. Ellis shot down the zombies trying to break in and then all was extremely quiet.

"The med kits are here!" Rochelle called, bringing over a few. She tended carefully to Ellis, glaring at Nick the whole time, while Coach and Nick took care of themselves. That round with the zombies had torn up the survivors enough that there was more bandage then skin.

"Time for some seep. G'night folks." Coach said as he and Rochelle headed into one of two bedrooms. Nick was left to help Ellis limp to a bed before finally collapsing on it. They were both out as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Nick woke up to the sounds of sobbing. He looked at Ellis who had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Kid, you ok?" Nick asked.

"Momma! Don't you recognize me? It's Ellis! It's Ellis, your Son! Wha's wrong with you?" Ellis cried out.

Nick was going to ignore it and go back to sleep when Ellis yelled out "Keith! Please man… it's me! It's your buddy Ellis! Rochelle? Coach? Nick? Nick where are you? Why am I alone? Wha's happened to everyone?" Nick wasn't sure what compelled him then but he reached over and softly stroked Ellis' cheek.

"Shhhh, Ellis its okay. It's going to be fine." Nick whispered. Ellis' sobs quieted to whimpers as he moved closer to the soothing voice. On impulse Nick wrapped his arms around Ellis, pulling him close. "You're going to make it out of this Hell, Ellis, I promise."

Nick awoke to another good night of sleep. He wondered if it was just something about Ellis or if it was only being near another human being. He watched Ellis, whose head was resting on his shoulder. Ellis hadn't made another noise all night.

When Ellis began to stir, Nick pretended that he was still asleep. Ellis nearly jumped out of bed which Nick used as an excuse to 'wake up.'

"You ok Ellis?"

"Fine." He replied, nodding. His face was a little redder than normal, Nick noticed.

"Have any interesting dreams last night?" Nick also realized that Ellis' smile seemed just a little forced.

"Shoot, Nick. I don't ever 'member my dreams." Ellis said, grinning as he put his hat on his head.

"Just wondering. You talk pretty loud in your sleep." Nick enjoyed watching Ellis' face turn beet red.

"I hope I din't say anythin' embarrassin." He muttered.

Nick was ready to comment when Rochelle and Coach knocked on the door.

"Safe to come in?" Rochelle called through the door, pushing it open a little.

"Only if you want to see some sexy butt nakedness." Nick called back. The door slammed shut and Ellis' face was red enough to rival a tomato.

"Oh God Nick, what did you do?" Rochelle accused. Before Nick could respond Ellis had run and opened the door.

"He didn't… we didn't… I Love Zoey." Ellis sputtered out.

"Oh thank God," Coach and Rochelle both gave great sighs of relief.

"No Duh." Nick said. "If we had, you would have heard Ellis' screams."

Although seemingly impossible, Ellis' face darkened a few more shades. Coach just stood there, no idea on how to react. Rochelle was lost too, choosing not to speak.

"Lighten up guys!" Nick laughed at their dumb struck expressions. "Jeez, no one can take a joke…."

"Sure we can Nick!" Ellis seemed to forget about blushing as he gave Nick a bright grin.

"If it's funny" Coach added in an undertone.

Nick pretended that he hadn't heard Coach.

"Is there anything to eat around here?"

"You're worried about food Nick? That's certainly a first."

"Don't get your hopes up, Coach. He's just trying to change the subject. For your information, Nick, yes there is a little food downstairs." Rochelle headed out of the room, heading for a bathroom.

"Alright! Feels like passed forever since I last ate!" Ellis said, grabbing his hat and running to the kitchen.

"Don't eat it all!" Nick yelled after him. He would have followed right on the boy's heels but he noticed Coach watching and decided to be a little more dignified.

"So what's on the menu, Overalls?" Nick asked as he finally caught up with Ellis.

"Nick, they're _Coveralls. _Not _Overalls._" Ellis explained as he pulled out a few cans of food. "Looks like we got chili… chili… and more chili."

"Doesn't sound as good as _you_ but I guess it'll do for now." Nick smirked as he grabbed one of the cans and opened it.

Rochelle and Coach came out of the bedroom then. They each grabbed their own cans of chili and left the two men to eat at a small dining table.

"So do you think your girlfriend will still be there kid?" Nick teased to break the silence.

"She ain't my girlfriend, Nick, you know that. And a course she will be. She is an _an_-gel. She can't help but be good." Ellis replied as he finished up his can of chili.

"Alright, I'm going to hold you to that."

"Look guys! A gas station!" Rochelle said, pointing to a little quaint building not too far ahead. Taking down a couple infected, the group rushed over.

"There's a couple gas cans over here." Ellis called, bringing 2 over. Setting down the gas cans near the fuel pump Ellis pulled out a couple pistols and finished off a group of zombies that had noticed them.

"Target practice ain't ever been this fun."

"No, I'm sure it hasn't. The adrenaline rush from the target running at you, trying to tear your head off is something you just can't get from 'ordinary' targets."

"Exactly! I'm glad you get wha' I'm sayin, Nick."

"Kid, if you haven't noticed by now… it's a zombie apocalypse. This isn't some videogame where if you die you get another chance." By the time the gas cans were full and the group began in the direction of the bridge.

"I noticed Nick…" Ellis said before shouting "Look! They're still there! I told you guys!"

"Looks like you were right for once, kid."

"Oh man, I'm a nervous wreck… whaddya guys think? With the hat? Or withou'?" Ellis took his hat off to show both options.

"Just be your sweet self, Ellis." Rochelle encouraged as Ellis put his hat back on.

"Ha! I told you guys that they'd be back!" Zoey could be heard talking as the group approached. She was standing with Francis and another man.

"Alright man! I was starting to get a little worried about you guys." The unknown man said.

"Hi guys, nice to see you back." Zoey called down to them. "Louis was finally able to join us. He didn't think you guys had our backs." To this Louis shrugged.

"Hi Louis!" Ellis called. "I don't suppose you've seen any mummies or vampires around."

"You'd think with the zombies that there'd be other monsters around!" Louis replied.

"That's what I've been saying!" Ellis rocked on the heels of his feet excitedly.

"Ok guys, you need to fill up the generator now. It's going to be loud so we'll cover you from up here. Good luck." Zoey explained, pulling out a gun. Francis and Louis did the same.

"A girl that can shoot? I am in _Love_, man!" Ellis said, dancing around a little.

"Rochelle can shoot." Nick pointed out.

"Oh… right… well I love her like a sister."

"Nice save, Romeo." Nick chided as Coach got the generator started. Ellis grinned wholeheartedly as they started taking on the horde of zombies that had been alerted to their location.

"These Sons a Bitches don't ever give up!" Ellis said as he blew dozens of zombies to smitherings. He blew up a particularly large group with a well-placed grenade.

"Awesome shooting, Ace!" Zoey called. Ellis would have paused to blush if a soccer mom hadn't been trying to take a bite out of him. As it was, he finished it off with his axe. Poor monster didn't even stand a chance.

"Man, I ain't seen this many zombies since Nick set off that car alarm." Ellis laughed as he saved ammo by using the axe instead. He found it fun either way.

"For the last time, that wasn't me!" Nick said, pummeling a zombie with his crowbar.

"Watch out, guys, it's about to get Messy!" Coach called, starting up the chainsaw. He cut through the zombies like a hot knife through butter.

"Go Coach, Go!" Ellis cheered, twirling his axe before taking down more zombies.

By the time the zombies had stopped coming everyone was beaten, tired, and out of ammo. For once, Ellis wasn't the only one with a smile on his face though.

"We survived!" Rochelle could almost jump for joy.

"We should join up. We make a pretty good team." Coach offered.

"Thanks but no thanks. We started this war together and we're ending it together." Louis said, patting Zoey and Francis on the back. Zoey looked a little put out but smiled and nodded.

"Take care of yourselves, guys. See you again when this war is over." Zoey told them with no uncertainty.

"You guys stay safe." Ellis said, heading towards his car.

"See you guys around." Rochelle said as she, Coach, and Nick followed Ellis.

"Bye Ellis! Bye Rochelle. Bye Coach. Bye….. Nick….." Zoely called after them. They waved in form of reply.

"Did you miss me, baby? I sure missed you…" Ellis said, patting the car's hood before getting in.

"On the Road again!" Rochelle began.

"Just can't wait to be on the road again." Coach joined in.

"Doo do doo do dododo dooo do" Ellis hummed/sang along… he couldn't be left out of singing even if he _didn't _know the lyrics. Nick just shook his head and muttered something suspiciously like 'idiots' before getting into the car with the others.

"This is the life!" Ellis said as they drove down the road, running over zombies. They had found a grocery store further back and stocked up with as much food as they could carry while refilling the Jimmy Gibbs jr. car. There was a soft quiet as the car drove through a small town. .

"I guess it could be worse…. We could be walking." Nick conceded.

"Man, that'd still be fun! Them zombies are hella fun to kill." Ellis said, swerving purposely to hit a meandering zombie.

Rochelle watched the parked and crashed cars pass by. She shook her head pitifully as she said "Those poor souls."

"Wha' do ya think happened to 'em?" Ellis asked, slowing down.

"Eaten probably… or turned." Coach offered, staring unseeing out the window.

There was silence for the group until Coach spoke up.

"How'd you guys find out 'bout the infection? I did when I was heading out to get donuts and someone started getting sick in a corner before attacking another person. I ran like hell was on my heels and found more of the monsters out on the streets.

"I realized it when my camera man showed the symptoms, threw down the camera, and came at me. I clobbered him with my microphone." Rochelle had a sort of lost look.

"I found out the disease was real while gambling, naturally. I was about to get paid off when a woman ran into the bar and took a bite out of a random man seated at a table. At first I thought that he had cheated on her or something, and that she had gone nuts but when she kept chewing on him I high tailed it home and grabbed every weapon I owned." Nick said.

"Nick sure was packin' when I met up with him." Coach had a smile while he said this.

There was silence in the car. Everyone turned to Ellis; He stared straight ahead, knuckles white on the steering wheel. He noticed the others watching him and threw on a smile.

"Ellis?... What… how did you find out?" Rochelle prompted.

Ellis didn't answer. His only response was to grip the steering wheel tighter. There was never a time Ellis wasn't talking; talking about Keith and Zoey and videogames and his band and being a mechanic.

"Come on boy, it can't be that bad." Coach pushed.

"My….my…..m-my…" was all Ellis could choke out. He scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"It's ok if you don't want to tell us sweetie." Rochelle murmured.

"My….My momma…." Ellis had been trying to keep it at the back of his mind. He had tried to brush off the guilt but no matter how he put it; he had killed his momma.

"It's ok kid, she's out of her misery." Nick would have patted Ellis on the back but one) he didn't want them thinking he was soft and two) he couldn't reach.

Ellis didn't say anything…. He put more effort into running over zombies. The others didn't really know what to say…

"You know" Ellis choked out "she made the best god damned banana nut pancakes ya ever did have." Ellis gave his best attempt at a smile but his eyes were watery.

"I bet she did Sweetie." Rochelle said, patting Ellis' hand affectionately. It lead them into another awkward silence until they felt rumbling.

"Ohhhh God!" Rochelle said as the vibrations grew. Ellis quickly pulled the car over, shutting it off, and everyone piled under the dashboard. There was no mistaking that a tank was nearby as it thumped its way aimlessly down the road. Everyone held their breaths as it passed… glad when the rumbling had ceased as the tank moved farther away.

"What's the matter Ellis?" Nick whispered. "Done killing tanks in Zoey's honor?"

"Why are you whispering? The tank is gone!" Ellis exclaimed. Nick, Rochelle, and Coach stared at him in horror as the unmistakable bellow of a tank shook the air.

"Out of the car! Out of the car!" Rochelle ordered as everyone scrambled from the Jimmy Gibbs jr. They each took up position from behind an abandoned car, watching for the tank as the thundering steps grew closer. The group would have been fine if one of the steps hadn't sent all of them sprawling. The tank saw Rochelle first, picking up a car and hauling it at her. In her haste to dodge she tripped which gave the tank the time to catch up to her. By now all comrades were firing at it but it didn't seem to so much as phase the tank as it picked up Rochelle and threw her into a car.

"Rochelle!"

The trio of men ran at the tank, drawing it away from Rochelle's limp form. The tank headed for them as they split up and fired from different angles. The tank just wouldn't go down….

Coach moved closer, trying to get a better shot. When the tank turned toward him Ellis fired a grenade into its back. As soon as it would head for Ellis, Nick would send a series of bullets into it. The three kept this up, hoping to bring the stubborn beast down.

"Uh Oh…." Coach murmured as his gun clicked. Empty. At the same time he heard Nick and Ellis yell "Out of Ammo!"

Ellis took it upon himself to rush at the tank with his axe. He ducked as the tank swung at him and sunk his axe deep into the monster's knee. The tank fell down with a roar and Coach was able to finish it off with his chainsaw.

Running to Rochelle they decided on Nick and Coach carrying her while Ellis covered them with his axe. They headed toward a safe room they had spotted while dealing with the tank.

"Is she going to be alright?" Ellis asked as they set her down on the couch.

"It's a miracle she's still breathing." Nick broke open a med kit and pulled out the supplies he needed. He set to work silently as the other two watched. It took him a couple of hours to take care of the wounds and check for any internal injuries. She had a few cracked ribs and internal bruising but nothing fatal as far as Nick could tell. He then graciously reminded them that he wasn't a doctor.

"If she's not dead by morning I will take that as a sign that she is all right." Nick announced before leaving the little living room to explore the rest of the house.

"I'm going to see what there is to eat around here." Coach mumbled before striding out to find the kitchen. Ellis stayed, watching the slow rise and fall of Rochelle's chest. He didn't know how long he sat there before he felt the need to speak to her.

"I'm real sorry, Ro. I thought tha' tank was long gone. Doesn' give me any right ta have been loud, I know, but I didn' mean ta lure it back… I didn' mean for you ta get hurt…."

"She knows you didn't." Nick said, walking in. It was a very small house… living room, kitchen, and 1 bedroom. He had come back to check on Rochelle and see if she had made any improvement when he heard Ellis.

"Eavesdroppin' ain't polite, Nick."

"Your point?" Nick asked, taking a seat next to Ellis. He didn't reply, just watched Rochelle.

"Look Overalls, staring at her won't make her wake up any faster… why don't you get some sleep."

Ellis looked at Nick for a long moment before nodding slightly, shrugging and leaving. He came back shortly later. Nick opened his mouth to argue his point again but Ellis had set a small pillow and a blanket on the ground.

"Kid, I'll watch Rochelle."

Ellis shook his head in reply, relaxing on the makeshift bed. He stretched, took a deep breath, and was soon fast asleep.

"Wish I could still do that." Nick muttered to himself before settling back on a chair to keep his word. It wasn't long before he had started to doze off.

Nick woke up to a loud crash and a chorus of groans. A quick check on Rochelle showed she was still alive but still lost to the conscious world. Ellis was up and attacking the invading infected with his axe. No one had really thought to reload their weapons. Nick looked around the room as he scrapped with the zombies barehanded.

"Heads up!" Ellis said, tossing Nick a katana.

"Now this is more like it!" Nick said. The two made sure none of the zombies reached Rochelle while they destroyed the mindless invaders. They finished off the last of the zombies fairly easily, only gaining a couple new wounds.

"Where's Coach?" Ellis asked. He pushed the door back and nailed a couple new boards to hold it up. Nick ran off for a moment.

"The bastard is still fast asleep." Nick growled, coming back. He looked amused and yet ready to kill. "I don't think even a witch scream would wake him up at this point."

"Guess it's good we're light sleepers then." There was no real emotion in Ellis' voice. It was sincere and neutral and stayed that way as he added "we should probly keep watch an' make sure that don' happen again."

"Good idea, kid." Nick said, glad the kid was being serious for once. He grabbed several packs of ammo and sat in front of the door reloading his guns. Ellis copied his example silently.

The night came and drew on slowly. Time seemed to just drag by as the silence continued. Never once did Ellis stray from his position or lose his focus. Nick found the behavior refreshing and believed that Ellis had finally grown up. Coach woke up a little past 1 and told both of them to get some rest. Nick had been dozing off again so he was all for the idea. Ellis didn't budge.

"Kid, you need some sleep." Ellis didn't respond. He didn't even glance in Nick's direction.

"Fine, suit yourself." Nick stalked into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed but for the life of him, he got as much sleep as Ellis did that night.

The morning finally came and a very grumpy Nick rolled out of bed. His first line of business: Breakfast… he was soon deterred from his mission by a tall, mute mechanic.

"Overalls?" Nick said as Ellis nearly walked through him to get to where Rochelle was. Nick followed and felt his heart stutter… he didn't see Rochelle breathing.

"There goes our last chance to repopulate…" Nick grumbled. Nick was surprised to find himself a little upset about the loss. Usually Nick felt that he was a kind of guy that could handle people coming and going with no trouble at all. Ellis fell to his knees next to the couch, head resting on the arm of it.

"Rochelle." Ellis let out a broken whimper. Nick came over to check her heart beat, being careful not to step on Ellis.

"She's still here kid. She hasn't left us yet." Nick could barely feel the pulse but it was there.

He received no discernible response.

"We should let her rest more and get something to eat." Nick rose from his kneeled position before heading out. Ellis was still on his knees next to Rochelle. It didn't look like he'd be leaving any time soon so Nick shrugged and walked away.

"So what is there for food, Coach?"

"Whatever you can find." Was the smartass reply.

"Thanks for the help. You probably ate all the edible food anyway, before you went into hibernation." Nick searched the cabinets methodically. By that time bananas, oranges, most breads, and 90% of un-canned meat were off limits. Nick found a box of Cheeze-Its, as well as a bag of lucky charms, 3 quarters full. Unwilling to keep searching he brought the meager treasure back to the living room.

"Here." He said, tossing the sugary cereal in Ellis' direction before opening the Cheeze-Its. It wasn't much but the snack food eased the gnawing in his stomach. Ellis looked at the cereal before slowly picking it up and eating a handful. Nick had half expected Ellis to spout out a Keith story brought on by the Lucky Charms but Ellis was silent. Disconcerted by the continued silence Nick attempted to work out a plan.

"So Ellis, what kind of music did you play in your band?" Nick started. Ellis stared at him for a minute before shrugging.

"Why'd you play bass? Why not drums or lead singer?" Another shrug.

"Is it difficult to run a mechanic shop?" Ellis ate another handful of cereal before shrugging again.

Nick had become desperate, and he couldn't even understand why. "How does Keith make it through so much?" Ellis shrugged again. This blew Nicks temper through the roof. He stormed over to Rochelle.

"God damn it girl, you better wake up soon before that kid's silence drives me more insane than his talking ever did!" Nick shook Rochelle a couple times before storming out of the room. A couple minutes later and he had his weapons loaded and ready out on the roof. He shot down anything that so much as twitched.

Several hours passed. Nick remained unbothered on the roof… enjoying the solitude but loathing it as well.

"Damn those three. Sometimes I wish I could just leave them. I would have at the beginning if I thought I could have survived on my own. Now, even with the opportunity, I don't think I can leave them. Rochelle being hurt is bad enough… I don't even know who I am anymore!" Nick rubbed his face wearily, not noticing when he was joined on the roof.

"Nick?" The shock of no longer being alone surprised Nick so much he almost fell off the roof. Regaining his composure he replied "What do you want, Overalls?"

"Coach says if we don' get some a tha' medication for Rochelle, and food inta her tha' she's gonna die."

"What does she need medicine for?" Nick had realized that Rochelle needed food, because Cheeze-Its and Lucky Charms just weren't going to cut it… but medicine?

"She got sick. She has a fever. Coach is doin' all he can but we needa make a run to a hospital or shit an' then a store for soup."

"So we're going to go risk our lives for soup?" Nick sounded like he was scolding the idea. Ellis nodded, face devoid of most of the usual emotion.

"It's not like I had anything planned." Nick hoisted the guns onto his back and he and Ellis made their way off the roof. Ellis handed Nick a med kit as they headed into town. They found a grocery store first, heading in and looking around.

"Why does it have to be so dark?" Nick complained as zombies seemed to come out of no-where. It made Nick feel paranoid and he couldn't decide on continuing using his gun or the katana Ellis had given him. He decided on the katana… Ellis had his trusty axe out and with his quick reflexes, had no problem with the 'phantom' zombies.

"Here's the soup." Ellis grabbed 5 or so cans and tossed them into an abandoned basket after emptying the basket of rotting foods.

"Do you even remember seeing anything at all that could be a medical clinic?" Nick asked as they stepped into the sunlight. Ellis was going to reply but hushed as they heard a wail a short distance away.

"Shit." Nick whispered, looking around. They spotted the witch in the direction they had come. Sneaking the other way they got by without notice and explored the town on foot until they found a shabby little Wal-Mart. They headed in, careful not to set off any alarms.

Nick wouldn't have minded the duo mission so much if Ellis hadn't been so… robotic. He didn't even give a shout of joy as he took down a charger before it reached them. Nick was perplexed to say the least.

"Ever done anything like this with Keith?"

Ellis shook his head as they wandered around the empty Wal-Mart. Apparently the store just wasn't in the zombies' tastes… that or they had become masters at hide and seek.

"Pharmacy Hoh…." Nick whispered. Ellis and Nick searched the shelves, using the dim light to read. They stocked up on everything that sounded useful before racing out of the store. The zombies froze, turning to look at the two of living flesh. They looked almost comically surprised before they ran at Nick and Ellis.

There was only a handful, taken down before they could so much as lay a finger on the two men.

"Shhhh…" Nick whispered as he spotted the witch from earlier. The two hid behind a couple bushes, holding their breath until the witch passed. They watched as she turned a corner before sneaking out and heading back to the safe house.

"Did you find what I asked, Ellis?" Coach called.

"Yeah Coach, all here." Ellis packed the two baskets into where Coach was. Following, Nick found Coach holding a cold washrag to Rochelle's forehead.

"Could you heat up the soup as I look through the medicine?" Coach asked Ellis. He nodded and headed into the little Kitchen. Nick followed and sat at the table, deciding to supervise as Ellis worked on preparing vegetable stew for Rochelle.

"You sure you love Rochelle like a sister?" Nick questioned. Ellis turned back to him, a little shocked.

"Of Course! You wouldn' want your sister ta die, would ya Nick?" Ellis asked as the soup cooked. He put a lid on the pot and sat across from Nick. Nick was a little taken a back and shrugged.

"Well… wouldn't ya miss anya us if we was to die?"

"Of course I would… I can't cover my own back." This earned a dirty look from Ellis.

"Seriously, Nick. Zombies aside. We're like bros… wouldncha miss me?" Ellis got up to stir the vegetables so Nick couldn't see his expression. Nick hadn't missed that Ellis had made it personally about him.

"I'm not one for missing people."

"We'd miss you Nick. I like ya enough I think we should get 'Bro' tattoos." Ellis poured some soup into a bowl then swiftly strode from the kitchen, effectively leaving Nick with his thoughts.

"Thanks Ellis." Coach said, helping Rochelle sit up. She was still lost to the world but working together Coach and Ellis were able to get some soup into Rochelle.

"Did we get watcha need for Ro?" Ellis asked as he watched Rochelle. She seemed more asleep now, instead of mostly dead. Seeing this allowed Ellis to breathe a little easier.

"Yeah. We should pack what's left in our med kits when we leave. Never know when one of us might get sick."

"Let's hope none of us. Who knows what the cold could morph into this generation." Nick said, strolling in casually.

"No kiddin'" Ellis grumbled. "The Flu, the Pig Flu, the Bird Flu, now the Green Flu… I wonder wha' makes the tanks and stuff. Must be a stronger, even more mutated Green Flu."

"Wow Overalls, you actually said something smart." Nick teased.

"I always say smart shit, you jus' don' always listen." Ellis folded his arms across his chest. Nick found him-self strangely fascinated by the movement but shrugged it off.

"Whatever you say, kid." Nick said. Ellis leaned on the arm of the couch as Nick sat in front of it and leaned back.

"I'm going to get some more sleep before my shift." Coach said as he left the room.

"Alone again." Nick mumbled more to himself than to Ellis.

"Whaddya mean alone? Ro an' I are right here."

"Well considering Rochelle is unconscious; I was actually referring to being alone with you again. I was just noticing we end up alone a lot. You're lucky you aren't a woman and that this is the zombie apocalypse." Nick chortled, eyeing Ellis for a moment. He caught himself actually admiring the young mechanic in front of him before shaking it off.

Ellis didn't really know how to react to that so he didn't. Instead he settled more comfortably as he watched the door. Nick relaxed as well, pulling a gun from his back and draping it across his knees.

"Kid….what was up with you earlier?"

"Wha' do ya mean?" He glanced at Nick a moment before turning back to the door.

"Well….you were acting…. Well you weren't being you." Nick struggled to explain.

"I jus' felt bad 'bout Ro getting' hurt cuz of me an' I couldn' do nothin' to help her."

"So when we got the soup and medicine…" Nick thought out loud. Ellis nodded, readjusting his hold on his gun before relaxing again. Silence fell and for once Nick was not appreciative of it but then again he couldn't think of anything to say. Ellis didn't look like he felt like talking anyway.

"Aw Shit!" Rochelle yelled suddenly, making both men jump in surprise.

"Rochelle!" Ellis' enthusiasm was far above normal. He looked ready to pounce on her and hug her to death, but Nick held him back.

"How are you feeling?" Nick asked as he struggled to keep a suddenly hyper mechanic at bay.

"Like shit." Rochelle grumbled, sitting up slowly.

"You're lucky to be alive… doesn't surprise me you're still pretty beat up." Nick handed Rochelle the mostly gone bag of cereal from earlier. There was a steady, happy chant of Ro's Awake! Ro's Awake! From Ellis.

"Ellis, sweetie…. Could you get me something to drink?" Rochelle requested as she gingerly stretched her sore muscles. Ellis was gone with a blink of an eye.

"Glad you're awake again. For a while there we thought you'd be joining the deceased." Nick mentioned as he sat back down in his earlier spot. He received a quick smack to the head.

"What the hell? What was that!" Nick jumped to his feet.

"For yelling at me earlier. Bastard! You know, I can honestly say 50% of the women left in the world hate you. Since when do you yell at a sick person!" Rochelle was glaring at Nick.

"What do you-Oh… I'd apologize _if_ I felt bad about it. You were making Ellis freak out." Nick shrugged, sitting farther away from Rochelle. Ellis practically pranced back in with a glass spilling over the edge with soda.

"Where did you get that?" Nick didn't remember seeing soda anywhere in the house. Not that he really _liked_ soda but it was better than always having water. He would kill for a good cup of coffee right about then.

"Been savin' it. I found it here 'fore Coach saw it an' I hid it. I was waitin' for Rochelle to wake up." Ellis handed the glass to Rochelle who drank it gratefully. As soon as she had the glass Ellis was off again….

"If Ellis keeps this up I have a feeling Zoey will have a big worry on competition." Nick chuckled, picturing the battle in his head.

"It's not that way between Ellis and I. He'd react the same if he thought Coach was dying too." Rochelle said as she tried to drink the beverage without spilling it.

"Oh? And how would he react if I were dying, do you think?" Nick prompted. Rochelle wasn't given the chance to answer because Ellis rushed in at that moment with a warm bowl of stew. He handed it to Rochelle, sitting carefully on the couch next to Rochelle's feet.

"Thanks Sweetheart." Rochelle said as she set the glass down to focus on the stew.

"No problem." Ellis said, bouncing on the couch.

"Glad to see you awake." Coach said to Rochelle as he walked in. "Ok you two, you should get some sleep. We should be able to head out tomorrow."

"But…" Ellis didn't look like he was going to leave until Coach gave him a look. "Fine, but I got the bed!" Ellis was suddenly sprinting for the bedroom.

"Like hell you are!" Nick yelled, caught off guard. They reached the bed at about the same time. Ellis jumped on it and Nick shoved him off. Caught by surprise Ellis hit the floor, Hard. It was Nick's turn once again to be surprised as Ellis burst out laughing, standing up.

"Is that all ya got Mr. Gamblin man?" Ellis pounced on Nick and the two wrestled for a moment. Ellis had the upper hand with strength but Nick had his own advantages as well. Neither was able to pin the other as the battle continued. It didn't last for too much longer.

"I guess there's enough room for two…" Nick grumbled as he and Ellis attempted to catch their breaths.

"You're a pretty good fighter." Ellis admitted once he could breathe again.

"You too, kid." Nick muttered, choosing his side of the bed and lying down. Ellis did the same and soon they were both asleep.


	3. Little Road Trip

So I have been hitting a few road blocks in the name of… I have ideas but don't want them coming one after another… because in a way that would get boring… so it slowed me down a bit trying to find that middle ground of not 'uneventful' but not 'exciting' events either… anyways, I hope you guys like it. I'd like to thank JuicySushi1 for her comment and following my story as well as fanficequalskilig for following the story. I hope it doesn't disappoint Eh, I like it anyways :D

Chapter 3

"God damn it! Where are they all coming from?" Nick shouted as he finished one row of zombies to find another coming at him. They had left the safe house in high spirits, enjoying a decent meal of the soup that Ellis had grabbed the other day. It had been surprisingly devoid of infected when they left… until all of a sudden there were zombies running at them from everywhere.

"You don't suppose they're getting smarter…" Coach trailed off.

"Um no, they must have just been wandering and noticed a couple running off so they decided to follow." Rochelle tried to rationalize.

There was no more conversation as the first wave finally reached the small group. The waves just kept coming too, crashing upon them just as if they were lost in the ocean… except that _this _ocean was hell bent on tearing them all into pieces.

"Out of ammo." Everyone took part in this terrible chorus.

"Shit." Nick commented as the group pulled out their melee weapons.

"Where do they keep coming from?" Rochelle sounded desperate as she fought not to be dragged down by the many hands slashing at her.

"This reminds me a this one time, with Keith-" Ellis was cut off as a zombie took a swipe at him. Ellis hacked it into pieces, continuing his zombie pummeling as he regained his train of thought. "Keith an' I had been jumpin' fences cuz we was bored that day an' well, one a the jumps left us-" another zombie distracted Ellis as it tried to rip his axe out of his hands. He punched the offender in the face, knocking the zombie back enough to completely free his axe and finish a few more zombies off. "surrounded by monster dogs. They was tall as a man an' ten times as mean. We had to-" Ellis was starting to pant as the zombie waves didn't slow and there seemed to be no end in sight. "so anyway, Keith had like bites on every part of his _body_. The doctor didn' even know it was Keith an' he shoulda cuz Keith was a regular."

"Boy, you should focus on zombie killin'." Coach said over the raging waves of zombies.

"I am Coach, jus' tryin' to keep things interstin… tha's all." Ellis didn't slow in the slightest in his zombie killing rampage.

Several more waves washed over them, dragging them down and then spitting them out again. There would be moments of panic when one of the group took a little longer than the others to resurface, but they always did… eventually.

"Overalls!" Nick called as the hick disappeared for far too long. He felt terror fill his gut as he received no immediate response… would this be the end of it this time? He spotted the mechanic not too long later as a zombie head went flying in his direction.

"Yeah, Nick?"

"Nothing, Kid. Just don't die." Nick called to him as he tried to do the same. Even with all his self-realization, he wasn't ready to die just yet.

"I can't believe it's going to end this way." Rochelle came up after a particularly rough crash. Hands pummeled from all sides, ripping clothes and slowly destroying the shreds of determination and hope that the survivors had harbored for so long. The longer the claws pierced their skin as they fought from going under, the more they feared they would never see another day… well that is, all of them but Ellis was worried.

"Guys, wha's with the long faces?" Ellis, although physically worse for wear, had a mentality free of injury… until Nick disappeared beneath the seething mass of the undead.

Ellis was the only one to notice seeing as Coach and Rochelle were lost in trying to stay afloat. They were beyond exhausted; their hope of seeing tomorrow seemed only a distant dream. At this point, they were worried only about if _they_ made it through; they could care less about the cynical conman that seemed to be more of a burden than anything.

Ellis waited for Nick to resurface. He could feel his heart pound as he looked around, slicing through undead without a second thought. He tried to catch a glimpse of that white suit, stained with the cost of survival…. But saw nothing.

"Nick?" Ellis called, quietly at first because he couldn't completely understand his concern. Rochelle and Coach had gone down for much longer and although he had been worried, his heart hadn't begun to race or his palms begun to sweat but oh man were they now. His heart seemed to be attempting to escape his ribcage while his hands had become so slick that he almost lost his axe.

"Nick?" He could feel the urgency seep into his voice as the conman still didn't miraculously appear.

"This isn't funny anymore, Nick!" Ellis began searching frantically. Dread clawed its way into Ellis' heart as he feared the worse. What if he never saw Nick again?

"I never meant for it to be funny, Overalls." Ellis turned towards the sound of his voice and saw Nick slowly fighting his way up. Ellis was at Nick's side in an instant.

"Get away from him, bastards!" Ellis tore through any zombie in Nick's 5 foot radius. Considering the horde still didn't seem to be dwindling, that was an impressive feat.

"Jeez, calm down Fireball. Don't use up your energy just yet." Nick was secretly grateful and impressed by Ellis' strength to keep going and with a smile on his face while he did.

"Well, it was nice knowing you guys." Coach's chainsaw had run out of juice and with his fatigue and his knees acting up, he could barely stay on his feet; much less swing a bat.

"Sorry that it's ending this way." Rochelle said as she, too, gave in to the hopelessness of the situation. They disappeared and Nick knew that they weren't going to resurface this time.

"NOOOO!" Ellis screamed. He pulled the sword off his back and with it in his left and his axe in his right, he became an all-out zombie destroying machine. He headed to where Rochelle and Coach had gone under, Nick covering his back. Nick found the will to go on through the intensity of Ellis.

Ellis fought his own lethargy, ready to lie down and take a nap himself. He couldn't let the weariness win, because then all they had fought through together wouldn't have gained anything. The adventure would be over… and damn it, he wanted to ride on the Screamin' Oak one more time. He wanted to get Coach back to his wife, if she wasn't infected… and Rochelle deserved to have a life. Nick… well what could the mechanic say about Nick? Nick deserved a second chance… Ellis battled on for his comrades, swooping in whenever a zombie had them in their clutches before continuing the slaughter… feeling only a slight sense of relief as he began to be able to see through the crowd.

Working together, Nick and Ellis finished what had been thought to be impossible. Nick knew it would have been impossible without Ellis there. He was more than just the sticky goo that held the group together; he was the hope and determination that everyone would make it out alright. Nick wondered what it was that gave the mechanic such hope that they'd make it out of this alive…

"Kid…" Nick tried to get Ellis' attention. "Kid! Stop! They're gone, look around… they're all gone." Nick said, stopping Ellis from taking another swipe at the air. Ellis blinked and looked at Nick, recognition slowly dawning in his blue eyes.

"Oh… Awesome! Let's get Ro an' Coach to a safe house an' get 'em all fixed up!" Nick shook his head as he helped a half-awake Coach to his feet. Ellis picked Rochelle up, carefully carrying her in the direction of a safe house they had been headed to when the horde came out of nowhere.

Unfortunately, because of the onslaught of zombies, they hadn't made much progress to New Orleans that day…. By Nick's estimate they probably hadn't even traveled more than half a mile. Thanks to the Empty on the Jimmy Gibbs jr. fuel meter, the group had been hoping to find some fuel for it so they could head on but of course… they get attacked by the biggest horde yet. Maybe they'd have more luck tomorrow.

"Man, that last horde was… _incredible!_" Ellis grinned wholeheartedly as Nick staggered behind him with Coach. Nick could almost see the kid prance along as they made their way to the safe house.

"I don't know how you do it, Fireball." Nick struggled to keep up with the light hearted mechanic.

"Do wha'?" Ellis paused for a moment, looking back at Nick.

"How you keep fighting even when it seems hopeless?"

"Oh, well tha's easy! I gotta be alive if I'm gonna tell Keith about all tha's been happenin'! It'll beat any a his best stories fer sure."

Nick smirked at this response, shaking his head slightly in amusement. How could the kid be so naïve? He just couldn't understand.

Ellis, the smile never wavering, held onto Rochelle with one hand while holding the door open for Nick and Coach with the other. He gave a slight bow and Nick felt a twist of envy that the whole ordeal didn't even seem to have fazed the kid.

Nick half carried, half dragged Coach through the door and Ellis was right on his heels. Rochelle was, once again, lost in dreamland as Ellis carefully set her next to Coach on the Queen sized bed. He disappeared through a door as he started his search through the house.

"Hey Ace, did you find any extra med kits?" Nick called as he checked Coach and Rochelle for any lethal wounds. His only answer was a _thud._

"Overalls?" Nick sprinted out of the decent sized bedroom to find Ellis passed out on the floor, a few med kits in his hands. Nick ran his hand through his hair, breathing deeply before he picked Ellis up and brought him into the other bedroom.

Setting Ellis down, Nick allowed him-self a sigh of relief. The kid was still alive. Nick figured that the adrenaline rush from the fight had just decided to wear off now… leaving Ellis with no energy at all and causing the poor kid to lose consciousness.

Nick would have loved to just lie down and sleep now, as well, but if he did his companions might bleed to death before morning so Nick set to work patching everyone up. Thankfully, no one had sustained any deadly wounds; no one had been bitten, no serious injuries to anything internal, no concussions. Patching up a gash on Rochelle's arm, Nick wondered how they had survived through that last battle. He knew already that things would have been over quickly without Ellis… but how had Ellis even been able to keep fighting the way he did; the kid had a limit on what he could do, too... didn't he? Nick left this thought as he focused on finishing up Coach's stitches, glad that the man was asleep at the moment.

Nick stretched as he finished everything on Coach and Rochelle… but dread swept over him as he realized he'd have to take care of Ellis as well…. Or face him dying…

Nick moved slowly to the other room, a couple med kits in hand for Ellis. He sat down gingerly on the bed, watching the younger man sleep peacefully. He couldn't help but smile to him-self… Ellis was such a kid. Gingerly taking care of the minor scratches and cuts on Ellis's arms, he hoped that the mechanic didn't have any more serious wounds than that. His hope only half held through.

Noticing that blood had continued to seep through a couple spots on Ellis' shirt, Nick gently lifted it to find a couple gashes running along his chest and abdomen. Nick pinched his nose in frustration, taking a deep breath.

Nick did his best to focus on only the cuts but he couldn't help the surge of warmth that ran through him whenever he accidently came into contact with the mechanics smooth skin. He was beyond grateful that at the moment the kid was out like a light; otherwise he'd have to kill him because people just weren't allowed to live after seeing Nick blush.

"Alright, Ace." Nick said as he finished bandaging the wounds. "You're all set for now." Nick breathed a sigh of relief. After tending to his own wounds, he finally allowed himself the pleasure of passing out on the bed.

"Overalls?" Nick was frantic. He had woken up to find the bed empty on Ellis' side.

"Overalls? Where are you?"

Nick jumped out of bed, running through the rooms. It seemed to take forever to reach anywhere… he headed to Rochelle's and Coach's room to see if they had seen Ellis, but they were gone too.

"No!" Nick shouted as he searched the house. Nothing… Nobody... The walls were eerie in their emptiness. The floor was ice cold and sent shivers up the conman's spine.

"This isn't Funny anymore!" the conman yelled to the sky as he ran outside. The concrete was sharp on his feet and he realized he had left his shoes inside. He kept walking, ignoring the pricks of the rocks as they dug into the souls of his feet.

"Ellis!" Nick continued calling, his voice echoing through the still town. The stars disappeared as Nick wandered farther out, onto the street. Darkness seemed to creep up from all around… seeping into his peripheral vision and threatening to swallow him whole. It would dissipate whenever Nick turned toward it but it was always there, always creeping… waiting for its chance to pounce.

The empty road was haunting… the silence of the town deafening. He couldn't understand… why was Ellis gone? Why was he alone?

"God damn you guys, where are you?" Nick ran until he saw a lone figure standing farther down the road. The figure was not discernible… standing too far in the shadow for Nick to see clearly.

"Ellis?" Nick called as he headed toward the still figure. It turned slowly towards him, teeth sharp and eyes bright before it disappeared into the darkness.

"Ellis…." Nick fell to his knees, realizing he was alone. He didn't want to live anymore… He was silent as the darkness swept him into its unforgiving depths. Grateful for the cold embrace Nick closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the tears that slipped down his face. Without Ellis, there was no hope for him… Why hadn't he seen sooner? Ellis was his sun, his only source of light… and now he was gone. And so was Nick.

Nick heard only silence as he let out a heart wrenching scream, hoping that it would all end quickly.

"Nick! Nick, man! Wake up!" Nick was shaken awake none too kindly. The groggy conman opened his eyes slowly, wondering what was going on… he had been lost in the dark… where was he now?

"Nick? Can ya hear me? Earth ta Nick?" Nick could have sworn that his heart melted as he heard the southern accent clearly. His vision cleared slowly and he saw a very concerned country boy leaning over him, hands gripping Nick's arms tightly.

"Ellis?"

"Yeah. It's me. You awake yet?" Ellis sat back a little, loosening his grip but not letting go.

"Ellis!" Nick couldn't help the surge of relief that flooded through him.

"I think tha's like the first time ya called me by my name." Ellis realized.

"Ellis…" Nick smiled softly, beyond glad as he realized it had all been just a bad dream. Ellis released Nick's arms, sitting back completely.

"Yeah, it's me. Are ya all, alright?" Ellis poked Nick on the forehead.

"Yeah, I'm ok, Sport." Nick sat up, wide awake now.

"Ya sure? You sure was makin' a ruckus jus' now." Ellis said thoughtfully, running his fingers through his hair. Nick stayed silent… there were a lot of responses to that but none that would allow Nick to hang onto whatever was left of his dignity.

"Yer real lucky ya didn' wake up Ro or Coach… then again I don' know if anythin' can wake them two up right now." Nick listened only half to what Ellis was saying, trying to recall the dream. Why the heck had he dreamed that? Was Ellis really that important to him? Maybe Nick was just confusing himself… maybe… alright, so he had no clue how to take what had just happened. That dream made absolutely no sense.

Ellis watched him quietly, attempting to decipher the different emotions running across Nick's face.

"Ya know, this reminds me a this one time with Keith. We was lil and Keith wanted ta watch a scary movie, said he wouldn' be scared a nothin'. Well, our mommas told us we couldn' so Keith's older bro snuck us one a his scary movies and we watched it an' all. Well… I fell asleep 'bout half way through… wasn' real interested in all that blood an' gore an' shit… well Keith did an' he ended up wakin' up screamin' from nightmares from the movie for like months. In fact, he'd start screamin' every time he closed his eyes jus' cuz he was afraid a somethin' gettin' him… His bro was real mean, too… jumpin' out from behind stuff and tryin' to scare him on purpose. He thought it was funny." Ellis finished, glaring at a wall. He mused for a moment on the past few minutes after waking up.

Ellis had awoken when he had heard a whimper and was beyond surprised to find tears streaming down Nick's cheeks. He'd never seen Nick cry before; Rochelle and Coach had plenty of times but never Nick. It had confused him to the point where he decided it just wasn't right for Nick to cry, ever, so he tried to wake him up. Sometimes he wonders if Nick has nightmares about the zombie's too, or if not… what would even bring him to tears.

"Wow Kid, that's one of the most normal Keith adventures you've ever told." Nick commented, watching Ellis' change in facial expressions as he told the story. Nick could actually believe that that one had happened… well almost. He was just beyond happy that the goofy mechanic was sitting there, in front of him… alive… he wasn't alone.

A thought re-entered Nick's mind then, and not a pleasant thought… any one of them could die tomorrow, or the next day. There was no set guarantee, as Ellis seemed to believe, that they would all make it out of this. All Nick had was his promise that Ellis would make it out ok…

"So Nick, was ya havin' a nightmare?" Ellis was surprised that Nick hadn't told him to shut up during his Keith memory. Usually Ellis could get to where it got interesting before people told him it wasn't the time; especially Nick… Nick always seemed the first on his case.

Nick shrugged in form of answer.

"Well, we should probly get a lil more sleep." Ellis went back over to his side, being careful not to reopen his wounds. Nick lied back down as well, trying to allow the nightmare to fade from his mind.

Nick stayed awake for a while, long past when Ellis finally fell asleep. He watched the mechanic and wondered if he was dreaming at all. Closing his eyes, Nick attempted to tire himself out by counting backwards from 100. Nick was startled when he felt something move near him but relaxed when he realized that it was just Ellis shifting in his sleep. Ellis settled his arm over Nick, moving close enough to rest his head on Nick's chest. Nick smiled sleepily at the sentiment, brushing some of Ellis' stray locks from his eyes.

"If any of us make it out of here alive, you will kid." Nick whispered, relaxing as he listened to Ellis' steady breathing. It didn't take too much longer for Nick to lose himself to sleep. This time there was no haunting dream to drag him down.

Morning came and Nick awoke fairly happy, everything considered. Ellis was in his arms, still safe and live; what more could Nick ask for at this point?

Ellis opened his eyes slowly, freezing when he realized where he was again. Nick smirked down at him, staying completely at ease. Ellis sat up, feeling a little flustered but deciding that it could be worse.

"Did you sleep ok, Kid?" Nick asked as he got up, putting on his white jacket and shoes.

"Same as always, I guess." Ellis shrugged as he nestled his hat on his head and headed out. Coach and Rochelle were already up, making breakfast.

"Oatmeal?" Nick said in disgust.

"Alright! Do we have any honey er brown sugar?" Ellis asked in excitement. He bounced in his chair while Rochelle mixed the bubbling concoction together. Nick watched the food with disdain.

"Anything else to eat?" Nick asked, glaring at the silver pot that held what was apparently going to be his breakfast.

"Well… no, not really. Of course, if you want to go hunting for something you are free to." Rochelle suggested. Coach and Ellis sat at the table, starry eyed. Nick couldn't understand how anyone could stomach the gloppy mass that had been given the name 'oatmeal'.

"I guess I'll survive without breakfast today." Nick growled a little as his stomach made it obvious it was displeased with his idea.

Ellis was busy searching for anything that would go well with the oatmeal. Everyone turned to him when he gave a shout from his excitement.

"We're in luck guys! Guess what I found!" Ellis was doing a happy dance, the freezer door wide open and sending a slight chill through the room.

"I've never been one to guess." Coach said, folding his arms… Anything could get Ellis excited so it wasn't always such a good idea to use up energy on something silly he may have found.

"Well, I found the honey and a little brown sugar." Ellis said, but that clearly wasn't what he was excited about.

"Right sweetie, but those don't come out of a freezer… what else have you found?" Rochelle coaxed, trying not to let her-self hope that it was something actually good for once. At one of the other safe houses Ellis had become insanely excited about finding an old baseball mitt and baseball… things fairly useless in a zombie apocalypse.

In response Ellis proudly held up two zip lock bags; one held blackberries and the other held blueberries.

"No way!" Coach and Rochelle were now as excited as Ellis.

"We'll actually be able to have a real breakfast." Rochelle said as she continued stirring the oatmeal. Nick didn't understand the happiness in finding some frozen fruit… big deal. What can you do with frozen fruit that makes it any better than anything else they had had?

"Oatmeal is finished." Rochelle said, pulling out three bowls. Ellis grabbed up 4 spoons, scowling for a moment when he counted the bowls Rochelle set on the table. He went back and got one more, setting it on the table as Rochelle dished up.

"Nick said he didn't want any." Rochelle explained as she put 2 scoops of oatmeal in each bowl. Ellis didn't respond, he just waited patiently for Rochelle to put 2 scoops into a fourth bowl. Ellis smiled at her appreciatively before taking the two bowls and applying generous amounts of honey and brown sugar to both. He opened the zip lock bags next, popping a blueberry into his mouth before adding a handful of fruit to each bowl.

"Breakfast is served!" Ellis said, trying to keep his accent at bay as he set the bowl in front of Nick. Nick looked at the bowl with disdain.

"I think I'll pass… thanks anyway." Nick pushed the bowl away. He knew he was being petty but oatmeal was something he just couldn't choke down. He just couldn't stand the bland flavor or the consistency.

"Will ya please try it, Nick? For me?" Ellis begged, giving Nick puppy dog eyes.

"Um no, I don't do anything for anyone; especially not for you." Nick said, turning away from Ellis.

"Well fine. I won' eat either." Ellis said, pushing his own bowl away. It was apparent to everyone just how hard it was for Ellis to do that. He looked forlornly at the food as the brown sugar melted into the hot cereal. He could feel his mouth water but he refused to give in, staring determinedly at the wall.

Rochelle and Coach, although concerned for Ellis, didn't care if Nick ate one way or the other. If he wanted to starve, or risk his life… what difference did it make to them? Ok, Rochelle admitted to herself, she was a little worried about Nick but she knew there was nothing she could do to get him to eat so she decided to just not worry about it.

Nick watched Ellis as he fought temptation. The food was right there in front of him, something that he enjoyed eating… but he refused to eat. Nick couldn't understand this kid. Why was he so set on making Nick eat? No one had ever really worried that way about Nick before; not even his ex-wife.

Nick looked at the bowl that Ellis had given to him… was it worth it? Was it worth it to refuse a meal just because of his obstinate nature? Was it worth it to make Ellis suffer just because Nick didn't want to stomach the food? Nick was confused at the emotional turmoil rolling around inside of him. It had never bothered him to make others suffer before. It didn't bother Nick at all to be a purposeful cause of torture for another human being… but seeing the pain the kid was enduring was striking a chord somewhere in Nick's soul…

Ellis' stomach gave an abnormally loud rumble, making the kid hunch a little and put his hands over his stomach.

"Damn you Overalls." Nick grumbled before pulling the bowl toward him slowly. He picked up the spoon, looking at the contents held by the silver utensil suspiciously. He put it in his mouth slowly, getting ready to fight his gag reflex… Nick's jaw almost dropped as he actually tasted it. It wasn't that bad. The honey had changed the consistency to something a little more bearable and with the other ingredients tossed in, it actually tasted fairly good.

Ellis was grinning like a fool, hands still clenched on his abdomen.

"Ok, look, I'm eating. You can eat now, too." Nick explained. Ellis hesitantly reached out to his own bowl, pulling it toward him. He waited for Nick to take another bite before he dug in. Nick couldn't help but laugh at Ellis' reaction. Rochelle and Coach shook their heads in amusement.

"Man, that boy has Nick wrapped around his little finger." Coach whispered to Rochelle.

"Ellis has _everyone _wrapped around his little finger." Rochelle whispered back. She and Coach enjoyed their fairly normal breakfast in silence, appreciating the antics of the two younger (than Coach) males.

Ellis grinned while he watched the gambler out of the corner of his eye. Nick was actually enjoying the breakfast so Ellis mentally added another tally to his name… what did that make them now? Ellis had had the lead for a while but he wasn't sure by just how much anymore.

"What are you still grinning about, Kid?" Nick asked, reaching over and flicking Ellis' hat. Ellis readjusted it slowly before responding.

"Nothin'."

"Really? I don't believe that." Nick shook his head as Ellis tried not to snort.

"No one ever does." Ellis said, shrugging. "This one time I was with Keith an' he was-"

"Really Ellis? Now?" Nick joked, poking Ellis. Ellis nodded, continuing.

"anyways he was gonna try out the whole sky divin' shit and I told him it was a bad idea. He didn' believe me, either. So we though' a way to do it withou' payin' all tha' money to use a whirlybird-"

"Ellis, it's a Helicopter. Say it with me: He-li-cop-ter" Nick interjected. Ellis ignored him.

"We though' tha' if we jumped offa a cliff with one a them homemade parachutes it'd be like the same thin'. So we made 'em up an' foun' a good, tall cliff an' since it was Keith's idea he went first… Broke every bone in his body… the Doctors couldn' even figure out how he was still alive. Tha's jus' Keith for ya." Ellis finished his oatmeal and waited patiently for everyone else to finish theirs.

"Nick, ya know you are a real slow eater." Ellis observed as Nick continued eating his half-finished bowl while Rochelle and Coach set their empty dishes in the sink.

"What can I say? I like to _taste_ my food. Not inhale it."

"Well when ya got places ta go an' people ta see, sometimes ya jus' don' have the time to 'enjoy' the food."

"What people do you plan on seeing today?" Nick asked sarcastically, taking another bite of oatmeal.

"Funny Nick, real funny." Ellis rolled his eyes, poking the conman. "We do have places ta go, though. Jimmy Gibbs jr. still needs fuel an' we kinda wanna make it to New Orleans buh-fore they leave."

"Yeah, yeah." Nick continued to eat at his slow pace, taking his sweet time and savoring the meal. He considered it fairly humorous that he had thought about completely skipping this meal too… man would he have missed out. Not that he'd admit it to Ellis.

"Well come on then, slowpoke! We shoulda been outta here ages ago!" Ellis poked Nick again. When he got no real reprimand, he nudged him again. He continued enjoying his game of seeing if he could get Nick to react… Nick didn't respond until Ellis poked a sensitive spot on his neck which Nick automatically flinched against.

"Ellis…." Nick warned.

"You ticklish Nick?" Ellis chuckled, going back to poking Nick's shoulder. Nick shook his head in annoyance before finishing his oatmeal.

"There. Done. Happy now?" Nick showed Ellis the empty bowl.

"Yep, Thanks, Slowpoke!" Ellis poked Nick on the forehead before quickly grabbing the bowl and spoon and taking them over to the sink.

"You better be careful, Fireball…" Nick growled. Ellis paid him no heed as he packed up his guns and a med kit and got ready to head out. Rochelle and Coach quickly followed suit while Nick lagged behind.

"Come on Man, we're gonna leave withou' ya!" Ellis urged, throwing a med kit at Nick as he slowly strapped on his guns and his katana. Nick stretched a little before following Ellis out of the safe house to search for a gas station.

Blowing off a couple of zombie heads; the group wandered through town, seeing the pile of dead where they had been attacked by the horde.

"Oh man, I thought we were done for." Coach said, staring at the impressive size of the pile.

"Yeah." Rochelle replied solemnly.

"Whoa, I fer sure killed more zombies than Keith!" Ellis cheered as he realized just how many he had taken down. "Wish I had kept count better."

"Well Ace, we'll just give you a gold star for that one; you killed so many that we lost count. That sound fine with you?" Nick mocked Ellis.

"Tha's a great idea, Nick! Thanks!"

"Yeah, no problem kid." Nick shook his head at Ellis' childishness, following the all too happy mechanic. In the distance seemed to be a promising place to find some fuel although with their luck it would probably be empty.

Ellis ran ahead, hacking the zombies that came at him to bits before heading inside the gas station store.

"Boy, what are you doing? There are gas cans out here!" Coach called after Ellis.

Ellis came back out with a candy bar sticking out of his mouth and a bag full of random goodies.

"I went shoppin', tha's all." Ellis gestured at the bag, eating the candy bar slowly. "I's been way too long since I had chocolate!"

"Oh no.." Rochelle muttered, setting a hand on her forehead.

"Great… normal Ellis is bad enough. Hyper Ellis is bad enough that I just might have to be less careful where I shoot." Nick smirked at Ellis who just grinned confidently back.

"Ya think you could shoot me, Nick?"

"Oh I _know_ I can shoot you." Nick said, pointing his gun in Ellis' direction. The mechanic just laughed before going over to Rochelle and Coach.

"We are in luck, there is fuel!" Rochelle said as they pumped the gas into the gas cans.

"Does anybody remember where exactly the Jimmy Gibbs car is?" Coach asked as the picked up the gas cans. They had filled up 2, hoping that that would top the car off and they could get back to heading on their way.

Everyone was silent…

"Seriously? No one remembers?" Coach asked incredulously.

"Well with that giant horde attacking us…" Rochelle trailed off.

"Really guys?" Nick rubbed his temple in annoyance.

"Well duh guys, course I do. She's my baby, I wouldn' forget 'bout her or where she is." Ellis grabbed one of the gas cans calling "Follow me!"

"When did Jimmy Gibbs _jr._ become a female car?" Nick asked as he picked up the other can. He really hated physical labor but Rochelle and Coach said they'd trade off on the way… although Ellis of course declined; he believed he could carry it all the way there without a problem. Deciding not to argue the three followed the high spirited youth back towards where they believed the car to be.

"It's like a ghost town around here without infected around every corner!" Coach mentioned.

"Yeah, 's kinda borin' withou' the action. Least there are still a couple around." Ellis replied as he set down the gas can to shoot a couple zombies that had noticed their presence.

"You sure you know where you're going, Ellis?" Coach asked. It felt like they had been walking forever… although it was probably only a little more than half an hour.

"Course!"

"Alright boy, but if you just dragged us cross town for nothing…" Coach trailed off, leaving the threat unannounced.

"I doubt that we walked even an eighth of the town." Nick countered snidely.

"Oh man I missed ya!" Ellis took off running. Everyone else was left staring as Ellis sprinted the last few feet to the Jimmy Gibbs jr. car which had just come into sight.

When Rochelle, Nick and Coach finally caught up they found Ellis hugging the car (as much as a car can be hugged). The gas can he had brought with him sat empty next to the car.

Coach brought over the gas can he, Nick, and Rochelle had taken turns carrying; emptying the contents into the car's tank. Ellis was lost enough in the moment that he was fairly oblivious to the others… which gave Nick an idea.

"Boy, you're just a glutton for punishment.." Coach muttered as Nick stole Ellis' hat. For a second the mechanic didn't react except to see who had taken it from him.

"Nick!" Ellis didn't sound nearly as menacing as he meant to. He patted the car's hood fondly before going after Nick.

"Nice try, Overalls." Nick dodged a flying Ellis tackle, sidestepping when Ellis came at him again.

"Must I tell ya again Nick? These are _Coveralls_! Not, _Overalls_." Ellis didn't seem as peeved as usual though. On the contrary, he sounded like he didn't mind this little game at all.

"Whatever you say, _Overalls!_" Nick tormented, making sure to keep Ellis' hat just out of reach.

"Aw Nick, will ya never learn?" Ellis shook his head in mock disappointment before lunging at Nick again.

"Aw Ellis, will you ever grow up?" Nick mimicked. Ellis got a hold of Nick's arm, reaching for his hat. Nick was barely able to keep it out of Ellis' grasp.

"And here I thought _old dogs_ could learn new tricks." Ellis tripped Nick but Nick was able to catch his balance before falling to the ground. They scuffled for a little while longer. Nick was silent as he focused on keeping the trucker hat in his possession as well as attempted to come up with a comeback for what Ellis had said.

"Why learn new when the old is classic?" Nick finally came up with.

"Took you long enough, Mr. Fancy Suit." Ellis finally got ahold of his hat. Nick refused to release it and Ellis didn't tug too hard for fear of damaging his favorite hat.

"As much fun as this is, we need to get on the road!" Rochelle called to the two roughhousing males.

"Yes, ma'am." Ellis called back to her as he tried in vain to get Nick to release his hat. Nick tugged it from his grasp before setting it onto the hick's unruly brown hair, backwards.

"You look good that way." Nick said as he patted the mechanic on the head. Ellis just grumbled something unintelligible in his general direction while he fixed his hat. He put a grin on his face though, jumping into his car with a spring in his step.

"So… anyone have any song ideas?" Rochelle asked hopefully. Nick glared at her, but there was no real heat behind the gaze. A grin came over Coach's face and dread came over Nick.

"No songs about ribs, Coach!" Nick interjected before Coach could start singing. There was a stare down for a moment before Coach moodily got into the car, followed by Rochelle and Nick. Everyone got comfortable and there was more than one person that jumped in surprise as Coach belted out "We won't hesitate!"

"To break down the guarding gate." Rochelle joined in.

"There ain't much time left taday, yeah."

"You have got to be kidding! This song?" Nick put his head in his hands, trying to keep his sanity through the torture.

"Life is a Highway! I wanna ride it all night long!" Three part, off key harmony filled the car.

Ellis revved up the engine, lyrics filling the car and driving Nick just a little insane. As Ellis put the car into gear he noticed Nick hunched over with his fingers in his ears. Ellis took his eyes off the road long enough to poke Nick in the neck just in time for "If yer goin' my way, I wanna drive it all night long!" to ring clearly through Nick's eardrums.

"You had better pull this car over." Nick demanded.

"What for?" Ellis asked. It was obvious he knew why.

"So I can fucking Kill you, Overalls!" Nick reached over to strangle Ellis while Rochelle and Coach continued singing.

"I love you now like I loved you then" floated in through the chaos. Ellis fought Nick off one handed as he tried to keep the car on the road. Considering Nick isn't all that much weaker than Ellis, and could focus completely on getting past his guard, it wasn't long before he made it past Ellis' defenses. Ellis hit the brakes to keep from crashing into another car.

"Nick, dontcha know yer supposed ta leave the driver alone, less a course you wanna die." Ellis fought the clutch Nick had on his throat. Nick wasn't really trying to choke the younger man… if he had he would be choking… he just wanted to mess with the silly hick. Taking the stock car out of gear Ellis turned his full attention to the gambler assailing him.

"Come on guys!" Coach said, finally stopping the song.

"We need to get out of here!" Rochelle growled, reaching up and smacking the two boisterous men upside their heads.

"Sorry Ro." Ellis said, immediately releasing Nick and scooting as far away as he could before putting the car back into gear.

"We were just having fun; you don't have to have a stick up your ass." Nick glowered at Rochelle before deciding to stare out the window. As soon as he looked away Rochelle smacked him again.

"Sorry, Ms. Stick-In-The-Mud." Nick taunted.

"I'm walkin' on sunshine!" Ellis randomly sang out.

"I'm walkin on Sunshine!" Rochelle was not in the mood to sing but Coach joined in, albeit a little cautiously.… this particular song didn't seem to be in the category of 'Manly-Men'.

"You know Sport, you sound really gay right now."

"So ya think that you can take me on, Ya must be cra-zay!"

"Ok, I know you like horses but this is ridiculous!" It amused Nick, just a little, about how Ellis' southern drawl seemed to sneak into the songs he sang…

"Hit the road, Nick, and don' ya come back no more, no more, no more, no more!" Coach had caught on to what Ellis was doing and had stopped singing a while ago… content with trying to calm Rochelle a little more and listening to the half sung conversation.

"If I didn't come back, you'd miss me, Kid." Nick wouldn't admit it to anyone but he actually enjoyed the semi game he and Ellis were taking part in.

"You can go yer own way…" (in a slightly softer, more echo like voice) "Go yer own waaaay."

"I'm sure I could, but going my own way would most certainly mean my death at this point."

And so the two kept up the back and forth conversation-song as Ellis drove happily down the road. Rochelle and Coach soon joined in themselves, trying to guess what the other will say (though never saying it loud enough to interrupt the gambler and the mechanic).

Neither Ellis nor Nick seemed to tire of their little game… they kept it up well into the night as Coach and Rochelle got some sleep. They continued while they fueled up the Jimmy Gibbs jr… and when they parked in front of a safe house and had taken the two slumberous people of their party up into it.

As much as Nick wanted to wake Rochelle and Coach up, Ellis made it clear that he'd be in trouble if he did. Not that Nick was afraid of Ellis but at the moment he wasn't really up for battling it out with the mechanic. He had been battling wits with Ellis all day and although they had run into little trouble in the way of zombies, he was mentally exhausted. Nick and Ellis collapsed on the bed, calling the game a draw for the night.

The silence was thick in the air but it left the two men to think. Unfortunately that means that Nick was able to come up with a very strong question.

"So you said you found out about the zombies from your mom… what happened, Kid?"

Ellis looked at him in shock… He shook his head at Nick, turning to face away from the conman.

"Why should I tell ya?" Ellis asked softly.

"You have a good point." Nick admitted. "But I think you need to get whatever happened off your chest… and considering our other two teammates are lost in la-la land… I'm kind of your only choice."

"Yer forgetin' the fact that I don' hafta tell no one."

"You're admitting to the fact that something happened."

"Well a course somethin' happened! Otherwise I'dda had no trouble tellin ya all 'bout it." Ellis pulled a pillow up to cover his head. Nick snatched it away from him before he could get comfortable.

"You should talk about it, Sport. Keeping feelings locked up is unhealthy."

"Ya know that best, don' ya? Mr. I-don'-hafta-tell-or-trust-nobody." Ellis curled in on himself, trying to force himself not to listen to Nick.

"Touché… but see I'm used to keeping things to myself. That's just the way I am. You, however, are a social butterfly-"

"I ain't no butterfly." Ellis grimaced.

"Let me finish… that's just an expression. Regardless, you aren't used to keeping things locked up. You've never had to… and the fact that you are is slowly eating you up inside. If you don't let it out, it may very well consume you Kid. Take it from a man who knows."

"Geez Nick, since when do ya care 'bout me, huh? Yer always pullin' the whole 'I'mma leave you guys first chance I get' shit so why should I count on you now?"

"Because I haven't left yet." Nick said simply. "For starters, I could have probably wormed my way in to that other group… I no longer needed to stay with you guys. And some of these safe houses are fit enough to survive in for a very long time. I mean, with the number of zombies we clear out when we're first running through the place it wouldn't really be all that hard to raid stores that are nearby and live safely on my own. Trust me, I've thought and considered it… but I'm still here."

"Doesn' explain why ya suddenly care now." Ellis sat up and rested his head on his hand, keeping his back to Nick. He heard some shifting behind him and wasn't surprised when he got a pillow in his face.

"I don't know, ok? I have no fucking clue what it is about you… and Rochelle and Coach. But whatever it is, I want to know and god damn you Overalls, you will tell me. What happened?" Nick grabbed Ellis' shoulder and turned the kid towards him. There was a wide-eyed expression on the mechanics face as he made eye contact with Nick. Ellis broke the gaze first.

"S'not even a big deal." Ellis whispered.

"It is to you." Nick tried to sound nonchalant but he felt triumphant… he was getting through to Ellis.

"My ma tried ta eat me fer breakfast… so I fought 'er off in self-defense… an' I think I killed 'er." Ellis voice was so soft that Nick almost didn't catch it.

"Fireball… it wasn't your mother any more. Once they become a zombie they're no longer who we knew them to be."

"Ya don' think I _know _that?" Ellis growled. "Even though I know tha'… what if they find a cure? Then my ma coulda been saved… but cuz of me she can't."

"So that's what's been bugging you. You seriously blame yourself? Kid, you saved yourself and because you saved yourself you've saved 3 other lives countless times. You did nothing wrong; you were only protecting yourself."

"If I really did nothin' wrong, why do I still feel bad?" Ellis collapsed face first into a pillow.

"Because your conscious doesn't understand that you did nothing wrong. It will understand in time though. In the meantime we should probably get some rest." Nick was proud of how much he had gotten out of the kid but even he knew not to push Ellis' limits. Curling up on his side, Nick relaxed and allowed sleep to wash over him only when he heard the sound of Ellis' even breathing.


	4. On with the Journey

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this out. Summer means haying and I also got a part time job so my free time has been mainly for eating and sleeping. Everything has fallen into a steadier rhythm again, though, so I should be able to dedicate more time to working on this. So without further ado, Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Jesus Kid! How could you not see that?" Nick yelled at Ellis as they observed the damage on the Jimmy Gibbs car.

"'m Sorry…" Ellis looked close to tears… in a manly sort of way. He didn't look like he was ready to blubber and cry, more like go sit in a corner and mope for a little while.

"It wasn't Ellis's fault. Leave him alone, Nick!" Rochelle looked ready to knock Nick out. Nick, more than a little shocked by Rochelle's outburst, almost took a step back. He was able to stop himself though, staring the young woman down.

"He should have been paying more attention instead of singing his stupid folk songs." Nick glared at each of the survivors before turning. Coach caught him by the shoulder.

"For one, boy, they aren't folk songs. They're road songs. And two, you're being ungrateful-" Nick made a move to interject but Coach gave him 'the look.' He stayed quiet. "Ellis has always done the best he can, even if he is a little crazy. Give the kid some credit. And just so you know… Ellis quit singing way before this little shenanigan happened." Nick shook his shoulder from Coaches grip before skulking away.

"I can fix it. I swear." Ellis stared at the ruined tire… feeling horrible. How had he not seen that spitter? It had been in plain sight! Easily avoided if he had been paying better attention… but he had been lost in a daydream that he couldn't even understand. Visions of sharp Green eyes still haunting him…

"Maybe it'd be best if we leave it, sweetheart. We can find a new car…" Rochelle said softly. Ellis felt shock course through him.

"I will not leave 'er. She's part of the team!" Ellis said, touching the smooth surface of the hood lovingly. "I can fix 'er all up an' make 'er as good as new… you jus' watch." Ellis headed into the house, looking for tools to work with. He had been able to get the car to a safe house with an abandoned garage full of tools. There were also spare tires galore and mechanical parts piled all over… if Ellis had been in a better mood he would have been in absolute heaven.

"Alright boy, but you needa fix it up fast… we need to be on our way." Coach and Rochelle headed into the safe house. Rochelle looked back at Ellis, who had started looking the tire over, before shaking her head and shutting the door.

Ellis ran his hands over one of the melted tires. He was grateful that the spitter goo hadn't gotten on wheel itself, or he'd have been screwed if he wanted to keep Jimmy Gibbs on the team. He grabbed a couple Jacks, lifting the car up, before starting to cut the tire away. He set to work on fixing up the wheel… fighting off the images that still threatened to overtake his head. He wasn't gay… he refused to be gay.

Nick stormed into a bedroom, throwing his stuff down. He couldn't understand why he was so angry… sure, the kid had almost gotten them all killed because he hadn't had to deal with a spitter before and had forgotten what they entailed…

It had been a cinch jumping out of the car after it had stopped moving to take care of the zombies; especially the spitter. It had stood and stared as Nick pulled the trigger, the barrel of his gun aimed right at its head.

So why did he feel so much rage bubbling up inside?

The day had started out ok… Coach and Rochelle had woken up early to scrounge up breakfast for, as they called it, the war hero and his side-kick… which of course jumpstarted an argument on which male was the hero and which was the side-kick. Coach and Rochelle laughed at Nick and Ellis' antics. Ellis paused to wonder a moment if, in fact, they didn't mean themselves…

The argument ceased at a draw when the two had breakfast set in front of them. Nick, still keeping the cool and calm demeanor, ate properly while the man he deemed his side-kick dug in with no abandon.

After packing everything up and heading to the car the drive had been… well tolerable. It still bothered Nick when his three 'teammates' decided to sing show-tunes on the road but he had learned how to manage it. Nick hadn't noticed when Ellis quieted from his singing… hadn't completely noticed when the mechanic had stopped singing altogether.

Why hadn't he noticed the glazed, far off look in the kid's eyes? Nick had been the first to notice the spitter… and if he was honest with himself he didn't remember what kind of zombie that was either… all that ran through his mind was 'That is One Ugly Bitch.' What the 'ugly bitch' could or couldn't do as a special infected hadn't even crossed his mind until the thing had started shooting the green slime at them.

The spitter had been far enough away that she hadn't made a direct hit… instead the front and rear tire on the right side drove through the acidic mess, causing the rubber to melt and making Ellis hit the brakes. They had been barely lucky enough to come to a stop next to a safe house with a garage. The members of the four person team had then jumped out of the car and taken down every zombie they could spot.

Other than the slight setback they'd have to face while Ellis fixed the car he couldn't think of anything that would have caused the rage currently fuming in his mind… He stood up from the bed, deciding a quick search of the house would help clear his head a little.

This house was actually pretty decent… it had running water (both hot and cold!) and 3 bedrooms for once! It also had a well-stocked fridge; although a lot of what was in it was hardly any good. Nick took the opportunity to clean out the fridge of anything edible, smiling at some of the things he found that were still edible. Of course, his happy, peaceful moment was just begging to be ruined by a female.

"Nick, you should go apologize to Ellis." Rochelle said as she came into the kitchen and noticed his presence.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong." Nick said. He made sure not to make any eye contact with Rochelle as he snacked on a pickle. Rochelle glared at him but shook her head and stalked away.

Nick rolled his eyes, knowing he needed to let the kid know he meant no harm… although by now he should already know that. Nick grabbed the pickle jar as a peace offering and headed to the front door, taking a slightly longer route in the hopes to avoid Rochelle and her nose-that-wouldn't-mind-it's-own-business.

Nick rested his hand on the door knob, giving a heavy sigh before opening the door. A country song assaulted his ears as Ellis sang to himself while he worked. Nick knew that the kid had country twang in his voice but listening to him sing now… Nick had no idea just how much.

"Cuz I'mma Country boy,  
've gotta four wheel drive  
Climb in my bed, I'll take ya for a ride  
Up city streets, down country roads  
I can get ya where ya need ta go  
'Cuz I'mma Country boy!" Ellis sang, actually fairly softly considering his usual volume.

"That song is very fitting." Nick mused as he appeared behind Ellis, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah, Yeah, I know what ya think a me Nick." Ellis said as he continued working on removing the second tire. It had welded itself to the metal of the wheel and Ellis was having a heck of a time getting it to separate.

"I don't know if you actually do, Overalls." Nick said, messing up Ellis' hat before handing him the jar of pickles. The mechanic's eyes lit up before he looked up at Nick suspiciously.

"What do ya want?" Ellis asked. Nick stared down at him, noticing how Ellis glanced up at him through his dark eyelashes… it made something twist inside of Nick but he ignored it, opting for a smirk instead of the soft smile that part of him wanted to give.

"Just to apologize. That's my peace offering." Nick said nodding toward the jar.

"Rochelle told ya to, didn' she." Ellis said dryly.

"What?... no! Well.. yes, but that's Not why I did!" Nick felt on the defensive. "I shouldn't have snapped earlier and I thought you should know that I realized as much."

"A simple 'sorry' woulda worked if ya felt so badly 'bout it." Ellis smirked as he opened the jar and crunched on a pickle. He set the jar down to look at the problem that the tire presented again.

"Do you really think you can fix that?" Nick said, attempting to bridge the silence.

"Do ya doubt?" Ellis said, dramatic anger oozing from his voice.

"No, not at all. Just a little confused actually. There are other cars on the block so much nicer than this old piece of junk… why worry about fixing it up when you could just get a sleek new car across the street?" Nick leaned on the side of the Jimmy Gibbs car while he watched Ellis puzzle over the tire.

"This car ain't just another car." 'She definitely ain't no piece a junk' Ellis mumbled under his breath. "'s part a the group." Ellis had begun slowly removing the rubber from metal.

"Whatever." Nick said shrugging. "Guess it's just your problem. You may continue as you were."

"Like I need yer permission." Ellis said snorting.

"Well why didn't you already?"

"Cuz it's rude to sing while yer talkin' to someone."

"So you'll continue singing if I stop talking?"

"Maybeh. Maybeh I jus' don' feel much like singin' anymore."

"Well you should… that song really does suit you."

"Cuz I jus' listen ta every command ya give me." Sarcasm dripped from Ellis' voice.

"You should. It would make life a lot easier for both of us."

"Why does that jus' sound like a bad idea…" Ellis trailed off as he gave a particularly strong wrench on the rubber. It sprang free, throwing the mechanic onto his back and knocking the wind out of him. Nick fought laughter as he took in Ellis' priceless expression. Ellis sat up slowly, rubbing his gut before standing. He headed into the garage, finding a couple tires of the right size without too much trouble. As he got back to work Nick slid to the back of his mind and he picked up his song where he left off.

"My muffler's loud, dual Thrush tubes  
I crank the music, the tone gets real good  
Let me know when we're gettin' close  
You can slide on out, or we can head on down the road

Cuz I'mma Country Boy,  
've gotta 4-wheel drive  
Climb in my bed, I'll take ya for a ride  
Up city streets, down country roads  
I can get ya where ya wanna go  
Cuz I'mma Country Boy!"

Nick watched Ellis work, not really attempting to tune out the song. It didn't sound so bad when Ellis sang alone. It was the three part harmony that was full of off-key-sour-notes that really got to Nick.

Nick kept an eye out for attackers while Ellis was occupied… the gambler had a feeling that the mechanic was so lost in his work he wouldn't even see the zombie until it was chewing on his arm. He was too right when a lonely zombie noticed them and came running. Ellis didn't even glance up as he focused on fitting the tire back on the wheel. Nick took it down before it got anywhere near the mechanic, naturally, but the whole part about Ellis not even noticing bothered Nick.

Nick and Ellis chowed on the pickles while Ellis labored and Nick supervised. Nick found himself doing more than just staying on the lookout for any wandering undead however… as Ellis worked Nick couldn't help but notice how his gaze would fall on the mechanic and linger for a while as muscles rippled across the younger man's back.

Ellis sat back, stretching and wiping sweat from his brow. He glanced at Nick, getting ready to toil away on the car again when he did a double take.

"Hey Mr. Gamblin' man… whatcha starin' at?" Ellis crossed his arms as he waited for an answer. Nick speculated on what he could say.

"Nothing. I was just zoned out." It was partially true… Nick had been zoned into a particularly graphic daydream on all the things he could do to Ellis; none of which were in any way innocent.

"I dunno… ya seemed purty focused… ya actually looked like a hunter a sorts." Ellis contemplated.

"I think you're letting your imagination run away with you, Sport." Nick grinned as he disarrayed Ellis' hat, once again.

"Well, if ya say so, ya say so. I shouldn' argue 'bout somethin' tha's got no proof either way." Ellis put emphasis into fixing his hat. "Look city boy, are ya gonna let me finish my job or am I gonna hafta tell ya nicely to go away?"

"Because I'd really listen to you if you told me to go away." Nick laughed. He wondered why he was even still out here with the pesky mechanic. He could be inside, resting and regaining energy.

"You would. Ya know you would." Ellis shrugged nonchalantly as he finished putting on one tire.

"I know no such thing. I wouldn't do it if you told me… I'd do it because I no longer wanted to be in your company."

"Right." Ellis didn't sound convinced. "Like you'd ever wanna leave my company." Ellis teased.

"Well, because of this mishap it looks like we'll be staying here for the night." Nick mused out loud. What Ellis had said hit too close to the truth so changing the topic seemed to be in Nick's best interest.

"Well Rochelle told me tha' this house has runnin' water so we could all take showers. The Good Lord knows we need 'em." Ellis took his hat off to run his fingers through his hair. Taking a deep breath he put it back on and continued on the second tire.

"You really still believe in God? Even after all that has happened?"

"Well yeah. Why wouldn' I?" Ellis stopped working on the second tire to look at Nick. The gambler couldn't meet the boys gaze.

"Because of all this shit with the zombies and what not. There are innocent people going through hell… would a merciful God really do that?"

"Well ya gotta remember tha' bad things happ'n ta good people sometimes." Ellis explained calmly. "Wha' with all the cancer and shit; I mean, 'ave ya seen how many good people get cancer? An' wha' 'bout wha' happ'ned to the Jews… good people pay for bad shit all the time."

"For once, Overalls, you have a very valid point." Nick was more than shocked at the depth of Ellis' thinking. So often he seems like such a dumb, naïve little kid… but then moments like these come up and Nick is reminded that Ellis really does understand more than he lets on to.

"Since we won' be goin' nowhere today I think I'll tune up Jimmy Gibbs jr. a little buh-fore I call it a night."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do about getting us something to eat. And don't forget you need to take a shower before you go to sleep… you were right about _all_ of us needing a shower." Nick headed back into the house… wondering why he even felt compelled to get something for Ellis.

Ellis watched Nick leave, smiling to himself as the stubborn gambler shut the door. He focused on finishing up the last tire so that he could give Jimmy Gibbs a tune up… not that she was a bad car or anything but Ellis knew he could make her a lot better. Trying to stay a little more observant now that Nick wasn't there to watch his back, Ellis went into an almost all consuming zone as he put in serious effort on completing his job.

Meanwhile Nick hustled into the kitchen.

"Rochelle, have you made anything-" Nick started but stopped when he saw the look she was giving him.

"It's for Overalls." Nick explained, rolling his eyes as he quickly searched the fridge for something he could eat. Rochelle always took care of Ellis… and it's not that Nick minded or anything; he actually preferred being left on his own on the average.

Rochelle wiped the look from her face when Nick mentioned Ellis. She smiled as she handed him what appeared to be a lunch box…

"There is food in there for you too… I packed it up planning to bring it out to you two. You really need to go back out there before Ellis gets himself killed because he's so absorbed on his work." Rochelle waved Nick off. He sighed in exasperation but shrugged since there was no getting around any of it. He headed back out, wondering what exactly Rochelle had put in the lunch box…

"We're in luck! The mother figure of our little group made you dinner… and while she was at it she made something for me too." Nick said as he took a seat next to Ellis who was lying beneath the car. Ellis gave Nick the thumbs up but continued working on the car.

"Kid, you need to eat…" Nick warned as Ellis made no signs of joining the conman.

"I will Nick. I jus' gotta finish this first." Nick could hear a faint clinking coming from underneath the car as Ellis worked. Nick quickly became impatient with the young mechanic as he continued, resolute with finishing the tune up before coming out.

"Come on Kid, I'm curious to see what Rochelle made." Nick finished his demand lamely.

"No." Ellis replied.

"What?" Nick was more than a little outraged. What right did Ellis have to talk back to him? Especially when Nick was looking out for his best interest.

"I said no." Ellis poked his head out to look at Nick and then the sky. "I 'ave ta get this done buh-fore it gets dark, which won' be too much longer."

"What's so important about what you're doing?" Nick asked, peeking underneath the vehicle. He was very careful not to get too much dirt on his 'was-white-once-upon-a-time' suit.

Ellis broke out into words that Nick couldn't really understand. He just nodded, pretending like he had a clue on what Ellis was rambling on about. Ellis crawled out from under the car before popping the hood.

"In English?" Nick asked when Ellis' babbles died down.

"I'm gonna make 'er faster, stronger, an' tougher." Ellis explained as he looked beneath the hood.

"What's the difference between stronger and tougher?"

"Well one is how much she can push through an' the other is how long she can push through." Ellis said, leaning over the motor to get a better look.

Nick felt his mouth go dry as he noticed Ellis' position. He sensed a little heat rush to his face while he enjoyed the view.

"Nick, yer starin' again." Ellis said as he stood up straight. He met Nick's gaze with one of confusion before he went into search for his tools. After glancing around for a moment he glared at Nick.

"Wha'd ya do with my tools?" Ellis accused.

"Who says _I_ did anything with them?" Nick feigned innocence.

"'m Not playin' this game Nick. Give 'em back."

"What, _exactly_, are you going to do about it, _Overalls?_"

Ellis snatched the lunch box from Nick's hands.

"Keep this wonderful meal all to myself." Ellis said as Nick watched him coolly for a moment.

Nick watched Ellis.. wondering exactly how he should react so that the situation would turn to his favor once again… It didn't take him too long to come up with a plan.

"Alright, have fun." Nick smiled dryly at the mechanic. "I'm going to go inside and get something to eat, in the meanwhile." Nick turned on his heel slowly and made his way to the door.

"Aw come on, Nick. I need my tools." Ellis whined. Nick turned slowly, a new plan striking him.

"I'll give you back your tools when you're done eating." Nick smirked, knowing he had won.

Ellis rolled his eyes, glaring at the conman. "Yer a real bastard, ya know that Nick?" Ellis plopped onto the ground, opening the lunchbox. "I still like ya, though."

Nick paused as he took in the hick's words. Shaking of the sentimentality he was feeling, he took a seat next to Ellis.

"You know, you have enough time. You can eat and still finish up before dark, no problem. Aren't you like a super mechanic, after all?"

"Aw shucks, yer jus' bein' nice so's tha' I don' argue with you none." Ellis said, his face flushing a little. He looked ready to say something else when he saw what was in the lunch box.

"Wow, Rochelle went all out." Nick murmured as he saw what was in store for them as well.

Considering what would pass for a meal nowadays Rochelle did a pretty good job. Ellis hoped that Rochelle had at least saved some for herself, if not Coach too. Their eyes gazed over the peanut butter and honey sandwiches, the couple bags of Ritz crackers with an assortment of dips, a couple apples, and a small bag of cookies.

"Tonight, we feast like Kings." Nick jested as they each grabbed a sandwich and began eating. As much as Ellis was in a hurry, he ate slower than normal so he could at least taste the food. He was greatly appreciative at the time and effort Rochelle probably put into this. At this point he was actually kind of glad at Nick's insistence to eat. He hadn't realized how hungry he had been until he had taken his first bite of the sandwich.

"K, so there's the peanut-butter honey dip, an' tha' damn sweet thing of vanilla icin', but wha's this dip?" Ellis pointed to something that resembled a strange pink substance.

"Try it and find out. You have nothing to fear from Rochelle… now if this lunch was just for me then I wouldn't trust it, but she made it mainly for you so…"

Ellis shook his head. They both knew that Rochelle would never poison Nick… at least not as long as they needed that fourth gun… Ellis chuckled at his own joke, but shook his head again. Except for Nick, everyone was attached enough to each other that there would be no purposeful killing inside the group.

"What are you snickering about?" Nick asked as he took a bite out of an apple.

"Ro wouldn' put anythin' nasty in yer food Nick." Ellis chowed down on the apple, finding it satisfying. Nick munched thoughtfully for a moment.

"Really? I think you're just too trusting." The two men ate in silence for a little while. Ellis naturally finished up before Nick. He got Nick's attention as soon as he finished swallowing his last bite of cookie.

"I'm done, see?" Ellis said, showing there was nothing left in his mouth. He shut it shortly after, letting a grin spread across his face "Can I 'ave my tools back now?"

"Sure thing, Fireball." Nick grabbed the tools from underneath and behind the back tire –just out of sight of where Ellis had been. He smacked his palm to his forehead.

"Really? If I had jus' looked." Ellis had annoyance and amusement evident in his voice.

"Hey, you said you were thankful, remember? Now get to work, country boy. I want to be safely inside before nightfall. I am not covering your ass from the zombies when it's dark out." Nick had to emphasize his point when he shot down a meandering zombie… Slinking back down Nick leaned back against the tire, savoring his half of the meal. He hadn't even made it to the partially eaten bag of cookies.

"I never said 'thank ya.'" Ellis muttered, a little perplexed. He grabbed his tools anyway, getting back to work. Nick was right about one thing, the work he had to do would be a cinch to finish up in a fairly short while. They'd be done by dark if not a little while before.

"Your expression said enough." Nick said as he finished the apple and tossed the core aside. Nick treasured the last few Ritz, finishing off the 'fishy' pink dip and the peanut butter and honey dip… but he left the icing for Ellis. Hey, he could be thoughtful sometimes… apparently especially where Ellis was concerned. He couldn't place what it was about the silly redneck but whatever it was, it pulled Nick to him like a Moth to a flame… Except perhaps that Ellis would be the one getting burned. Nick didn't like that idea so much.

"Hey, could you pass me the wrench?" Ellis head was under the hood and his voice was muffled.

"Sure…" It took Nick a moment to find it.

"Thanks." Ellis said, reaching out but not actually taking his head out. Nick handed him the wrench before shooting down a few more zombies.

"Hey, you almost done there, kid?" Nick asked. He was a little nervous about how dark it was getting. Not that he was _afraid..._ no… definitely not afraid. But he did not like having to deal with the undead when he couldn't see them clearly.

"Yeah, almost done. Don' get your panties in a bunch." Ellis snickered as clanging resounded from inside Jimmy Gibbs jr.

"Well hurry it up will you?" Nick ignored the panties statement. He knew full well that words were words, no reason to act negatively upon them… Unless of course there was a good reason to act upon them. Like, for instance, Ellis's tendency to let a stream of words leave his mouth that may or may not be true but were mainly a nuisance. Those words needed to be stopped.

"Man, ya can't rush me or I'll screw sumthin' up. Just take a deep breath. I'll get 'er done." Ellis' voice was muffled.

5 minutes passed and Nick was able to keep his cool… Well at least on the outside he was. He was just a little twitchy on the inside….

"Hey, are you done yet?" Nick asked as it seemed more zombies were appearing. Uh-Oh… someone ran off and told a buddy and now they'd have a whole party at their feet. Nick grimaced inwardly at the thought. If that was the case, he would not be one of the ones out on night-watch duty… not this time.

"Ya can't rush perfection."

"That would be a valid point, if I was attempting to rush perfection. Currently I'm rushing _you_ though, so your previous statement is moot."

"Uh… moot?" Ellis said the word slowly, confusion strongly portrayed in his tone.

"Oh boy, Overalls… it means it's questionable. There was no real point in you saying it. You told me not to rush perfection. I'm not rushing perfection, I'm rushing you. Do you understand now?"

Ellis nodded, banging his head on the hood.

"Ow…" He mumbled as he rubbed his head. He continued clanging away beneath the vehicle, cringing when an unexpected shot would ricochet through the air. He continued working as silence filled the air and the lighting around him dimmed. Nick watched him, covering his back as he moved from beneath the car to the motor to the wheels and back under the car. Just as it was starting to get too dark to see clearly, he gave a victory shout!

"Done!" Ellis jumped up, his fists thrown high in the air.

"Good, it's starting to get dark out nitwit. Did you get everything finished that you needed to?" Nick looked the stock car over. It looked the same to him… except that Ellis had added a couple steel plates to the front of the car so it could plow through zombies a little more effortlessly.

"I think so." Ellis looked over the car again. Before he could come up with any more tweaks, however, Nick had drug him inside. He nearly ploughed into Rochelle in his rush to haul the mechanic away before he got any more ideas.

"Oh hi Rochelle." He muttered in greeting, restraining Ellis. The over-energetic mechanic dove for the door, tugging Nick back in the direction of the outdoors.

"Ellis, time to sleep." Nick's voice was strained as he fought the mechanic. Ellis broke free, getting a hand on the door handle before he turned and grinned at Nick. Nick was struck dumb at the dazzling smile thrown his way… for a moment he forgot how to breathe. He shook his head, clearing it of the sappy cobwebs, before he scowled at Ellis.

"Oh come on Nick, 'm jus' givin' ya a bad time." Ellis moved away from the door, his smile a little smaller than before.

"Whatever." Nick wasn't so much mad at Ellis… he was mad about the effect the kid seemed to be having on him. "Hey, I call one of the single beds tonight."

"What? Why?" Ellis seemed genuinely shocked. Nick was abashed by his reaction.

"Because I'm not sleeping next to Rochelle or Coach tonight." Nick explained, shrugging.

"Well, Coach already took one of the single beds…" Rochelle put in before the conversation could continue.

"Ouch… looks like you're stuck with Rochelle, Kid." Nick choked back a laugh as he headed into the bedroom. He heard Coach snoring and realized he had picked the wrong room.

"Damn bottomless pit." Nick grumbled as he headed to the room next door. "Ellis…"

"Oh… Evil Eye… yer not scary Nick." Ellis was lying spread-eagle on the only other single bed.

"I am sleeping on that bed, dumbass." Nick growled, heading towards Ellis menacingly. Ellis watched him coolly.

"'m not jus' gonna roll over an' obey ya." Ellis watched him; picture perfect calm on his face. Nick had never seen the Kid's poker-face before… and he had to admit, he wasn't sure what Ellis was thinking.

"You have two choices. Either roll over and obey, the easy way, or make me move you… the hard way."

"Are those my only choices?"

"Kid.. don't test me."

"Oh but Nick, it's jus' so much fun to test ya." Ellis showed off an Ellis grin that made Nick's heart stutter. His resolve and outer menace did not waver though. Stalking over to Ellis, he was more than a little surprised when Ellis didn't even bat an eye lash. He seemed completely at peace.. not intimidated in the least. That unnerved Nick… but it didn't slow him down.

"Off." Nick moved to shove Ellis who sat up and moved out of the way. "Damn you, Ellis, get off the bed. Go sleep with Rochelle. You always seem to like her so much anyways."

"She is my _sister._" Ellis said slowly, with conviction. He glowered at Nick, his mask slipping into a 'bring it on' expression.

"Whatever, she still likes you more than me. She and I staying in close proximity for more than a couple minutes would be a problem for everyone." Nick wasn't begging… he wasn't. He refused… he was just… trying to _reason_ with Ellis, that's all.

"Why do ya wanna sleep on yer own so much?"

"Well that was out of the blue." Nick spoke his thoughts… "Because I don't like sleeping next to anyone. Although…I'd prefer that than sleeping on the floor."

"Oh." Ellis moved to get off the bed but Rochelle came in.

"Hi Ro." Ellis put on a chipper smile at the sight of her entrance.

"I've decided I'm taking the other single bed. Sleeping next to Coach, with his snoring and talking and restlessness… I need a night next to no one. You guys go take the twin bed." Rochelle ordered. Ellis watched her for a moment but decided not to argue. This is what he wanted after all right? Part of him was doing a victory dance but the other was looking upon him with scorn. What was he going to do?

Nick opened his mouth to argue but the look Rochelle gave him clearly said 'Go to Hell.' Nick shut his mouth, frowning as he headed toward the twin bed.

"Thanks for makin' us food Ro', it was real good." Ellis said as he headed out as well. Even if Ellis hadn't wanted to sleep next to Nick (which… part of him didn't) he wouldn't have tried to take that from Rochelle because of all she did for the team. She really did take care of them… It kind of hit him then. Everybody on the team… if any of them were lost then the little family would crumble. Coach was their leader, Rochelle their 'mother', Nick was the doomsday badass who knew like 100+ ways to kill a zombie, and then there was him… he didn't really know what he contributed… just that he contributed something.

"Sorry Nick." Ellis said as he sat down on the bed. Nick was already lying down, his jacket folded neatly on the floor nearby next to his shoes. His arm was thrown over his eyes, the other resting at his side. Ellis watched Nick for a moment, before he too climbed on the bed. It was a little cramped but Ellis was able to lie on his side at the edge of the bed in such a fashion that he wasn't touching Nick.

"What are you even sorry for?" Nick asked quietly, irritated.

"I dunno. Fer lotsa things. Too many ta list, tha's for sure."

"Just go to sleep." Nick growled out at last before turning his back to Ellis. Ellis closed his eyes… willing himself to sleep… and after a while sleep came to him and for a short time Ellis could forget about the zombies and the gambler and all the problems that arose from being one of the last survivors of an apocalypse…

Everyone could tell that Nick was in a grouchy mood the next morning…. It was almost like there was a storm cloud hanging over his head. Of course, Nick wasn't actually all that upset (in fact he had slept just fine with the kid nearby) but he wasn't going to let anyone else catch on to that. He wanted a bed to himself for once, so until he got it, it was the least he could do to make everyone else suffer.

Already that morning Nick had accomplished the following: shoved Ellis out of bed (while he was still asleep), unceremoniously woke Coach and Rochelle with cold water, and used up all of the hot water.

Ellis felt a partial gloom descend… did Nick really dislike him that much? Ellis just couldn't understand the gambler. He shrugged it off as he enjoyed breakfast… he was glad Nick hadn't made it… he probably would have burnt it just to rub a little more salt into the wound.

"Everyone ready to head out?" Coach called as the team finished breakfast. Nick headed toward the door, his weapons and a healing kit in tow. He waited semi-patiently for the rest of the group to catch up. Rochelle joined shortly later, followed by Ellis and Coach. They all gave one last look at yet another safe house before heading out to Jimmy Gibbs. They shot a couple zombies that had been meandering by then loaded into the upgraded car. Ellis blushed as Rochelle and Coach praised what he had done to the car.

The engine roared to life as Ellis pulled away from the sidewalk. The car was oddly silent as he drove along, no zombie stood a chance against the new and improved Jimmy Gibbs jr. Ellis grinned to himself as he imagined how Keith would react to his makeover of their hero's car.

Ellis' heart filled with pride as his car showed off its zombie killing progress, not even phased as he took on a small group. Before when he headed for a small group there'd be a lot of bumping and heart stopping moments when for a second the team thought that the car had gotten stuck on a zombie body (there were a couple times when Coach and Nick had to get out and push or clear out whatever was making the wheels spin) but not anymore. Now it was all smooth driving… that is of course, until they reached a stock pile of cars in the middle of the road.

"So you did all that work yesterday for nothing…" Nick's exasperation was apparent.

"What are ya sayin' Nick?"

"That we're leaving Jimmy Gibbs behind…" Nick said as he moved to open the door.

"I ain't leavin' her. I see three options: first, we could try to plough through the cars… I mean I dunno if she has tha' much power but I'd rather try then not… two, we could always try drivin' over the cars… ya know, getting' ramps up and then just drivin over 'em… though I can't see tha' as holdin' much promise cuz it could get stuck, or we could take a lil off road trip around this…"

"Why is this goddamned car so important to you?" Nick asked, but it sounded more like an insult.

"Cuz she's part of the team!" Ellis glared at Nick. "I wouldn' leave any of you behind, I'm not leavin' 'er." For Ellis that point was final.

"We could always get another car when the road clears up." Rochelle offered. Ellis' face paled as his jaw dropped.

"You too Ro?" Ellis sounded affronted… his expression was akin to that of a kicked puppy.

"Well boy, you have to see there's no sense in keepin this car at this point. She did good, but we need to move on." Coach interjected.

"Well you guys go. I'mma find a way round this cars. I won' leave Jimmy Gibbs behind." Ellis crossed his arms across his chest, looking very much his age at the moment… maybe a little younger than his age. Nick rubbed his temples in frustration. Pinching the bridge of his nose he watched Ellis for a moment.

"Why the hell is this fucking car so important?" Nick stared Ellis down, his temper flaring just a little. There were better cars then this beat up and bloodied stock car. Something that was a little roomier and had room for a week's worth of supplies, had 4 wheel drive, at least 2 working doors… Or maybe even something that looked a little sportier.

All that met Nick's question was silence. Ellis sat staring out the window while Rochelle and Coach looked at each other uncertainly.

"We're not going anywhere, sweetheart." Rochelle said, reaching over to pat Ellis's arm affectionately. Nick watched the action coolly, wishing his look alone could freeze Rochelle. He scolded himself… what difference did it make to him what Ellis and Rochelle did… except that he might want in on a little of that Rochelle action.

Nick allowed himself the freedom to muse while the rest of the group tried to make a decision on what to do. Why couldn't there a bunny girl in their group? He let his mind wander for a bit, although his logical mind already knew that any girl even remotely bunny would be dead within the first hour. Nick found it a shame though… He wasn't used to having to deal with sexual frustration and his choices in releasing it were none… Rochelle wasn't interested and the other two were men. Nick's gate had never swung in that direction and he didn't plan on letting it start now. They would make it to a refugee camp eventually… or they'd all die and he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

"Looks like Nick won't be leaving either." Rochelle's words broke Nick from his wandering thoughts. "What's your plan, sweetie?"

"Well… I was gonna jump it but if you guys are stayin' with me, then I'll see about driving around this mess… maybe later down the road we can start moving some a the cars out a the way."

"Alright honey, but you have to promise me this. If this car gets stuck, and we can't continue to take 'her' with us… you'll fix us up a new car in Jimmy Gibbs name and we all move on… ok?"

Ellis nodded enthusiastically as he backed the car up. Jimmy Gibbs bumped and shook as it took on terrain it was never built to drive, but with Ellis' upgrades and skill it headed with decent speed towards Orleans. Silence filled the car again, except for the occasional grumble from Nick about the 'less than thrilling' car ride. Nonetheless, they were once again on their way.


	5. Answers Lead to More Questions

Hi guys I just wanted to say that this chapter was fun to write although I kind of wanted to leave it in a massive cliff hanger but I don't know when I'd be able to get the next chapter out and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long so I left it in a different kind of cliff hanger Anyways, I hope you guys like it. Feedback is always appreciated and it's very motivational Enjoy the chapter :D It was fun to write

Chapter 5

"You really love this car, huh sport?" Nick watched the dead and empty cars they passed sullenly. Ellis snorted.

"Wha' gave it away, Sherlock?" Ellis chortled as Coach and Rochelle snoozed peacefully. Nick ignored the derision in Ellis' tone and decided to play along.

"Well perhaps on the account you won't leave this goddamned piece of junk behind."

"She ain't no piece a junk. She saved us from tha' zombie 'fested mall an' if you aren't gonna be grateful you can jus' get out and walk."

Nick was a little taken back.

"I'm just trying to understand you Kid, no need to get all huffy about it."

"Who says I want ya to understand me?" Ellis watched the road ahead. Nick shrugged, deciding silence was the best answer. He mused to himself while they continued farther down the road.

Nick was surprised at the kid's ability to stay awake for so long. So far the car pile-up had reduced a little but it was easier to drive alongside the road instead of moving the mutilated pieces of metal on the road… not to mention there were several groups of zombies still hanging around the place, feasting on the carcasses of the deceased car accident victims.

Silence filled the stock car as both conscious men allowed their minds to be filled with wandering thoughts. Nick was so tired of all this crap… he missed his nights at the casinos, as much as he became disgusted with himself for feeling the loss. He was who he was though, no zombie apocalypse was going to change that (well, not dramatically at least).

Ellis allowed himself a moment to wonder how Keith and Zoey were doing… and Dave. Even though Dave hadn't been one to go on many 'Keith Adventures' he still was a good and dependable friend. Had they made it out alright? Was Zoey doing ok? Was she even still alive? Ellis didn't dwell on the alternative… an angel like Zoey just couldn't ever be a zombie; her friends would keep her safe. He hoped…

"So Ellis…" Nick was tired of where his thoughts drifted. He decided a distraction was in order; even if it meant a rambling Ellis. "What's so great about that Jimmy Gibbs jr guy? He didn't seem any different from anyone else…"

"You wouldn' understand Nick. Ya only got ta see 'im as a zombie." Ellis shook his head, as if it were a serious loss. "He was-is a hero. My hero; even if the zombies got 'im in the end."

"Right, Ok Fireball… but _why_ is he your hero? What's so great about him?"

"Nick, tha's kinda a hard question ta answer cuz there're jus' so many great things 'bout Jimmy Gibbs… you city folk wouldn' understand though." Ellis had a look of slight disapproval as he focused (or at least attempted to focus) on driving.

"So answer me this, Kid, why aren't you a racecar driver? Why become a mechanic instead?" The thought had honestly just occurred to Nick. Usually when someone idolizes another person, they want to be just like that person… mechanic isn't all that far from a racecar driver but still… why the difference? He could easily picture the hick as a racecar driver.

"Well… cuz I love helpin' people too. This's my way of combinin' my two favorite things. Jimmy Gibbs an' helpin' people." Ellis shrugged, glancing over at Nick.

"I see." Nick could understand that… except for why the hick would want to help people.

A zombie waddled out in front of the car, turning to stare like a deer caught in the headlights. Ellis put in a little extra speed to send the zombie zipping over the top of the car. The racket it made woke Rochelle up. Coach however was still oblivious to the world; if anything he started snoring louder.

"Sides," Ellis continued softly, "racecar drivin' wasn' somethin' my ma wanted me gettin' into. She'da been right worried an' I jus' couldn' do tha' to 'er. Bein' my ma was trouble 'nough for 'er."

"Yeah, you and all your Keith stories. I bet she was pretty frantic about you on a regular basis. It seems like just being in Keith's company was dangerous." Nick had dubbed Keith as a daredevil extreme who enjoyed pulling Ellis into the danger.

"Hey now man, don' give Keith all the credit. I had some mighty good ideas too. Though they didn' end in flamin' glory like his did." Ellis became quiet after that… musing about Keith's whereabouts and conditions. What would he do if Keith was a zombie too? Would he have the heart to kill him? Of course he would, because that was the right thing to do… leaving Keith in such a miserable state was terrible on several accounts.

"Well if Keith is anything like you, I'm sure he's doing just fine." Nick wasn't the sentimental type but he felt compelled to take that grievous expression off of the mechanics face.

"Wow Nick, I think that's the closest thing to a compliment that you have ever said. Especially to Ellis." Rochelle observed. Nick sent her an icy glare but she was un-phased, even going so far as to smile back.

Nick had noticed that his glares didn't have the effect they used to have on his teammates…. Like they had found a way to become immune to its freeze-you-in-your-spot powers… Nick really had to get away from them before they became able to see past the walls he had so precariously built over the years.

After all this time, Nick was a loner; that's who he was. People weren't something to trust; he had learned his lesson enough times. Just as soon as he could he was escaping these… he couldn't even find the right word for them.. but as soon as he could escape, he would.

Rochelle's words made Nick realize that if things progressed the way they were, that dumb little hick would be his undoing. He couldn't let that happen. He pulled himself together mentally, he could survive with them as long as he had to and then take off just as soon as there was an opening; wherever he went he didn't care as long as he was far away from Ellis.

"Thanks Nick." Ellis mumbled, a light blush had settled on Ellis' cheeks. Nick nodded coolly in his direction, acknowledging him to the bare minimum. If Ellis noticed the sudden coldness coming from Nick, he didn't show it.

"Ro… do ya have anyone that mighta made it out safe?" Ellis asked to fill the silence filling the car again.

"You mean if there are refugee camps and if they haven't been overrun?"

"Ro… 's not like you ta be negative."

"I know, sorry honey. It's something that's crossed my mind though. Anyway, yes I do. I might actually be the only one of my family in the thick of things…" Rochelle sighed.

"Any friends?" Ellis continued nonchalantly.

"I had a few friends… they aren't at the top of my 'worry for' list however."

"Any boyfriends?" Ellis asked innocently, a mischievous grin on his face. He was glad to have someone to talk to that understood the pain he was feeling right now.

"Um, no."

"So Francis has a chance?"

"Not with that vest…"

"Oh Ro…"

"Ok, ok. Sure he stands a chance as far as relationships in an apocalypse go."

"Right." Ellis hadn't really taken into account much more than just their current situation. If the planet were overrun by zombies then… there'd be no normal families anymore. Pregnancy would be more of a weakness, although he had a feeling there were some women who could kick ass no matter what the situation… but a zombie world wouldn't really be the place to raise kids. Would the world end then? Was this the end for non-cannibal, un-diseased humans?

"What about you Ellis? Any girlfriends? All we ever hear about is Keith… any little ladies you left behind?" Rochelle asked. Nick perked up a little… finding this conversation taking a turn towards interesting.

"Do ya really think I'd leave a girl in the middla all this?" Ellis sounded slightly offended.

"Well maybe she made it onto one of the helicopters?"

"Ok, good point. No, no girlfriends. Not at the moment anyway."

"Are you talking Past or Future?" Rochelle was a little confused.

"Whaddya mean?"

"When you say not at the moment… are you talking about a break up or someone you have your eyes on?"

Nick wanted to interrupt with a 'isn't that obvious the way he talks about Zoey' but he also wanted to know Ellis' answer. So for once, he kept his mouth shut.

"I've had a coupla girlfriends… an' I spose I kinda like Zoey but… I dunno how to explain Ro."

"It's ok Sweetheart, you don't have to. I think I see a safe house up ahead anyway… we should probably pull over there. How much fuel does the car have?"

Nick stopped listening again. He figured Ellis liked Zoey -I mean why else would you call someone an angel?- but it didn't make him happy to have his thoughts confirmed. He shook his head in irritation. It doesn't matter how many girlfriends the hick has or hasn't had.

"She's got 'bout half a tank." Ellis said as they pulled up to the barricaded farmhouse alongside the road.

"Good, we should be able to make it to another gas station ok… So who's going to wake Coach up?"

"See ya inside, Ro!" Ellis said, killing the engine and jumping out.

"I'm going to leave now. Have fun, babe." Nick followed Ellis without haste. He could here Rochelle grumbling about 'good for nothing men' and grinned. Good to see he still knew how to be a pain in the ass… if he lost that ability he just wouldn't be himself.

"How does the place scope out Ellis?" Nick asked as he walked inside the rather large house. He almost ran into the ashen faced mechanic.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, Kid." Nick said, patting Ellis on the back as they stared at some poor soul's corpse. A gun was lying not too far away and brains and what not was splattered on the wall so Nick could guess what had gone down. He was actually surprised not to have run into any of this until now.

"We can't jus' leave 'im 'ere. We should give 'im a proper burial." Ellis said, gaining some of his color back. Nick blanched, looking at Ellis in surprise. First of all.. as much as Nick wasn't too squeamish (except of course where his suit was concerned) he was NOT under any circumstances touching that thing. It had been dead for a while and flies had enjoyed the meal….

"I can leave him here. There is an upper story that I can hang out in so the stench doesn't reach me. But if you'd like to clean up this mess, by all means go ahead. I'm not going to stop you. Just make sure that zombies don't get you while you're being chivalrous ok?"

Ellis looked a little put out at Nick's words but nodded. Without flinching or hesitating, Ellis reached down and picked up the remains of the unknown person. Nick at least had the decency to open the door for him as he headed out to find a decent burial spot. Ellis focused on not breathing in too deeply. Being this close to the smell was suffocating.

Ellis set the corpse down a little outside the house, finding a shovel relatively nearby. He got to work just as Rochelle was dragging a still half asleep Coach towards the safe house. Rochelle paused to see what Ellis was doing.

"We found 'im inside." Ellis said gesturing towards the corpse. Rochelle nodded, noticing that Ellis' shirt was covered in something that sent a stench almost seeable.

"Just make sure you clean up when you're done ok? I'm going to find us something to eat. And Ellis, that sure was kind of you honey." Rochelle nodded toward the corpse before continuing her trek to the house.

Nick watched Ellis work from the window, glaring inwardly at himself as he enjoyed the show. As much as part of him wanted to turn away from the window and find something more productive to do it was like his body had a will of its own… in several ways. He wondered if there was a shower in the house….

Even with all of his experience with working outside Ellis was having trouble digging up the compacted earth around the house. He had tried a couple of different spots but none of them were any good… He finally settled back on his first spot, determinedly shoving the shovel into the earth. It clanged as it made contact with a rock and Ellis could feel the impact from his hands all the way up to his shoulders and his back. He growled, wriggling the shovel around the rock and finally digging up a shovel full of dirt. This was going to be more work than he had anticipated.

"Having some trouble, Sport?" Nick asked, startling Ellis.

"Go away Nick. I need ta focus."

"Here, let me give you a hand." Nick tossed a bucket of water on the area Ellis had been working on. Some of it splashed Ellis.

"Hey!" Ellis said, looked up at Nick. The conman had a pickaxe slung over one shoulder and an empty bucket in the other hand. "Wha' was the water for?"

"It helps soften the soil… you being a country hick.. I would have figured you'd know that." Nick jabbed as he set the bucket down. "Better stand back."

As soon as Ellis was completely out of the way Nick swung the pick axe down, digging it deep into the dirt before pulling it back up. He worked until sweat was collected on his face and slipping down his back.

"That should do it." Nick said, moving farther back and sitting down. By that time the sun had almost begun to set. Ellis tossed Nick his gun, the only one he had on his person.

"Keep an eye out, would ya?" Ellis asked as he started shoveling the now very amiable dirt out. It didn't take long after that to dig a decent sized hole. He set the body in the hole and Nick and Ellis worked together to put dirt back over the body.

"What made ya change yer mind?" Ellis finally asked as he moved a large rock over to the upturned dirt, marking the burial.

"A thank you would suffice, Overalls."

"_Coveralls_.." Ellis muttered. "Seriously Nick… why?"

Nick snagged Ellis' hat, twirling it on one finger. Ellis watched Nick carefully, wanting his hat back but ok with waiting for Nick to answer his question.

"It just looked like the guy who likes to help, needed help.. Ro was busy scrounging up something worth eating and Coach was asleep again so that left me. As much as I think it a pointless effort, I can't just leave you out here to struggle." Nick shrugged, looking down at their work, hat still twirling on his finger.

Nick was going to be sore tomorrow and he knew it… and it did not please him in the least but in a way it was worth it. At least Ellis was happy right? Nick paused for a moment, wondering why it was important to him for Ellis to be happy. He glared at himself, wishing he could give his emotions a stern talking to. He finally just shrugged, deciding that things could be worse… at least he wasn't lusting after Coach. Everything considered, it wasn't all that odd for his body to be after Ellis… I mean he was a nicer piece of ass than Rochelle so it made sense. His gate still didn't swing that way, however; and he wasn't going to change that.

Nick set Ellis' hat on his head backwards, earning a nasty yet playful look from Ellis. Nick just shook his head, patting Ellis on the head before shoving it away, throwing Ellis off guard. Ellis, in all his mature glory, stuck his tongue out at Nick.

"Do that again Kid, see what happens." Nick dared.

Ellis watched him for a moment… contemplating. Apparently he decided it would cause worse consequences then he dared deal with. Ellis fixed his hat, watching Nick. The Conman turned to look at the grave of the unfortunate but weak soul. As much as Nick has had to deal with it, he would never understand suicide… it just wasn't the way to go…

Ellis turned to head back inside.

"What? Go through the trouble of burying the guy… or girl… but not say any words in their name?" Nick teased. Ellis paused and looked back at him, giving him his sweetest smile.

"Nope. If you don' know a person, you ain't got no right to be sayin' anythin' in their name."

"What about asking God to take them into heaven and forgive them of their sins and all that shit?"

"I thought you didn' believe in God?" Ellis watched Nick closely.

"I don't… or I don't know if I do or not. But _you_ do. So shouldn't you?"

"What dif'rence does it make to ya?"

"I just don't want you regretting later not saying anything…" Nick lied. He actually didn't know… just thought it was what the Kid wanted to do and was thereby confused when he didn't.

"I didn' know what ta say an' I didn' wanna offend ya Nick." Ellis said, shrugging. He turned to look back at the stone… the only marker of the work Nick and he had put in for the unknown person. Maybe it would be better to say some words… who knows, it may make a difference for them in the long run.

"So?" Nick looked at him expectantly.

"If I do, you hafta bow yer head in prayer too." By Ellis' tone Nick could tell this was the deal breaker.

"Sure." He said after considering a moment. Ellis and Nick stood in front of the stone… Nick watched it wearily as if the dead body would start crawling out of the ground (possible, everything considered) while Ellis' expression showed that he was deep in thought.

"Dear Lord, please bring this poor los' soul home to ya. Forgive 'em for their wrong an' bring 'em inta yer heart where they can be safe from the hell down 'ere. Excuse 'em their weakness an' their inability ta handle yer trials for us an' allow them eternal rest at your side. In Jesus' name, ahmen." Ellis voice was low and soothing. The words he spoke weren't weak, they had real meaning. Ellis seriously meant what he said and that shocked Nick.

"Amen." Nick mumbled, lifting his head and opening his eyes. He wondered if there would be someone to do this for him when he died… well whoever the person was that was buried, they were one lucky bastard. A soul as pure as Ellis' praying for their eternal rest has got to get them merits with the Big Guy.

Both men were quiet as they turned to head back inside. Ellis' words were still running through Nick's head. Ellis had seen Nick's expression after he had finished his prayer and was wondering why the man had looked so awed. Still lost in their own worlds, the men's senses were assaulted when they went inside.

"Oh Man Ro, somethin' sure does smell good!" Ellis cheered. Nick took a deep breath, relishing in the mouthwatering scent. In doing so he noticed that the stench that used to fill the house was no longer there. He looked to the spot where they had first found the body to see the wall completely clean.

"Someone has been busy." Nick mentioned. Ellis turned to look at the wall at Nick's words.

"Whoa! Who cleaned up the brain splatter?" Ellis said… just a little too enthusiastically in Nick's opinion.

"I had to put Coach to work somehow, and he is not allowed in my kitchen while I'm cooking." Rochelle called to them from another room. Nick and Ellis followed the voice and felt their jaws drop.

"Ro…wha's all this?"

Nick smirked at Ellis' expression as he took in the smorgasbord of food that lay in front of them. His eyes were as big as dinner plates and it didn't take a rocket scientist to tell that Ellis was physically restraining himself from digging in right then, right there.

"Apparently, whoever that guy was, he was a loner way before the zombie apocalypse. He was ready for this before there was even an inkling of it happening." Rochelle explained.

"That or he was just an antisocial hermit with a hatred for the world." Coach said under his breath as he came in.

"The wall looks fantastic Coach." Coach glared at Nick. Nick's tone did not amuse him. "I mean I knew Rochelle had you on a leash-" Ellis cut him off with an elbow to the gut.

"Shut up Nick, yer bein' mean when Coach did a real good job. Le's jus' enjoy wha' Ro' did fer us and have a meal like a family." Anyone else and Nick would have given them a bloody nose and black eye for good measure… but it was Ellis, so Nick restrained himself. Instead he huffed a sigh, nodding at Ellis before taking a seat at the table.

Ellis felt his mouth water as his eyes wandered over the food. This was like a Thanksgiving banquet, except without all the family… the thought saddened him for a moment and nostalgia for the days of pre-apocalypse washed over him.

"Wow Rochelle, you really out did yourself!" Nick's voice pulled Ellis to the present. Sure, zombies may be overrunning the world and he may never be able to enjoy a 'normal' thanksgiving day again but as he looked around the table he realized that he had a new family and they were gonna survive this shit, no matter what life threw at them.

"Man Ro, how long'd it take ya ta put all a this together?" Ellis grabbed a piece of fried chicken as Coach passed around the mashed potatoes.

"Not too long. Everything was easy enough to find… and it's all easily made. You two probably don't even realize how long you were out there taking care of the body."

"Did it take us a long while?" Ellis asked. He figured it hadn't taken any time at all to take care of the body… but he could admit that he's been wrong before. It's part of being human… or what's left of being human.

"It took you just long enough." Rochelle answered, smiling. She passed some slightly stale biscuits to Ellis before preparing to set in on her meal.

"Wait!" Ellis said suddenly. Coach froze with the spoon halfway to his mouth, overflowing with potatoes and gravy.

"What?" Nick asked with irritation, pausing in his mission to butter half of his biscuit.

"Shouldn' we thank the Lord for this meal?" Ellis suggested softly. His expression radiated innocence. Regardless, Nick figured Ellis said it just to get on his nerves.

"Why? We never have before…"

"Jus' cuz you never heard me. I was wonderin' if ya'll wanted to thank God fer what He gave us today or not."

"Sure Honey." Rochelle said, setting her fork down and bowing her head. She may not have been strongly religious but what could it hurt to entertain Ellis' fancies. Coach had no doubts in his beliefs, he just forgot to be thankful in times such as these when all life seemed to be was trial after trial. And everyone knew Nick's view on the whole endeavor as he growled but bowed his head.

"Thank you Lord, for this meal an' tha' we ain't under the Earth like the poor soul from earlier, an' tha' we ain't lost an' mindless like them zombies. Thanks fer this food an' for Ro for preparin' it an' tha' we'll find enough to keep us livin'. In Jesus' name, Ahmen."

"Amen." Rochelle and Coach said softly. Nick muttered something incoherent… but at least he had bowed his head with the rest of them instead of disregarding Ellis' wishes and digging in.

Nick took a bite of his biscuit, his appetite partially gone. How could the kid still have faith in God after all they've gone through. The tanks and the witches, the chargers, just the normal zombies… what about his mother being turned into a zombie? How could he still put his faith in God after something like that? Nick looked over at the kid who had a great big grin on as he chowed down. Nick noticed that his eyes were a little shadowed though… maybe the kid wasn't as solid as he first presumed.

"You doing ok, Sport?" Nick asked softly, nudging Ellis. Ellis glanced at him in shock before putting on his 50 gigawat smile… Nick felt blinded to say the least.

"Mmm fimmmm Mick." Ellis said with his mouth full. He took a moment to swallow. "Why doya ask?"

"Because I know you better than you think I do." Nick watched Ellis' expression change from confusion to neutral disbelief.

"Guess tha's good cuz I don' believe ya know me at all." Ellis started chowing down as soon as the words left his mouth. Nick laughed.

"You can lie to yourself. I know how it helps sometimes… just don't get lost in your lies. You may discover there is no way back out." And with those words of wisdom Nick took his leave, going in search of a bed. He didn't even mind when a couple hours later Ellis joined him. Ellis always seemed to stay near him even if to Nick he was completely out of reach. Nick smiled to himself, realizing his entire life he'd always seen it as the other way around where he was the one out of reach for anyone else… what was this dumb little country boy doing to him?

Nick awoke slowly, stretching but freezing as he noticed a certain mechanic's head nestled on his chest. He smirked down at the curly locks, wanting to run his fingers through them but knowing that that's pushing the limit on several levels. Instead he studied the way the light from the cracks in the window lit up the highlights in Ellis' hair. It wasn't often he got to see the hick's hair because of his 'always in place' hat so having a few minutes to lie back and study it was nice.

Ellis' hair matched his personality: bright, springy, and full of young life. It matched him just as well as his sparkling blue eyes do, adding to his boyishness… but also pointing out that Ellis wasn't some dumb little kid (as much as he may act like it sometimes).

Ellis stirred from his slumber, sitting up and blinking sluggishly. He looked down at Nick, grinning a little sheepishly. It spread to a full on smile when Nick smirked back, handing Ellis his beloved cap.

"Morning Fireball." Nick said pleasantly, sitting up. He felt his back crack in a few spots as he stood up.

"G'mornin' Nick." Ellis bounded off the bed, slipping on his worn out shoes and heading out the door. Nick was right behind him, jacket slung over one shoulder.

"I think we should try an' make Ro' some breakfast for all she's done fer us." Ellis suggested as they made their way into the kitchen to discover that neither Coach nor Rochelle were awake yet.

"You have fun with that Sport. I think I'll just sit back and supervise." Nick said, taking a seat and relaxing languidly into the chair.

"But Nick…" Ellis pouted slightly. He seemed to realize how unmanly that was and shook himself out of it. "Yer gonna help me or ya don' get any breakfast."

"Well Excuse me Ms. Man. I think I'll skip breakfast for today if that's the case."

Ellis wasn't quite sure how to respond to that… wanting to Deck Nick one but at the same time wanting to go mope in a corner and again at the same time wanting to ignore Nick.

"Come on Nick, ya know ya need to eat somethin'. If you don' ya might cop out in the middle uva battle an' then where will we all be?" Ellis sighed inwardly at Nick's nonchalant expression.

Nick watched coyly, knowing he had won. He watched emotions flit rapidly around the kid's face. Ellis turned his back to Nick as he got out the ingredients to make an omelet. He made sure to check each egg before adding it to his mixture. He fried up some bacon as well.. the smell wafted to Nick and made his mouth water.

Nick watched Ellis for a while longer, trying to fight the welcoming aroma of food. His stomach announced its displeasure at being bypassed for Nick's laziness and pride… and with the smells coming from the stove he had to agree with it. He swallowed thickly; shoving his pride into a far corner in the back of his mind… hoping it would escape this defeat with very little damage.

"You know…" Nick felt beyond foolish as he stood up. "Maybe helping with breakfast wouldn't be so bad. What else do you need done?"

Ellis smiled to himself as he added mushrooms, onions, and diced ham to his omelet mix.

"Well, I was thinkin' some olives would be nice. An' cheese! An' if you could fine some sausage… oh, an' a coupla peppers!"

Nick went about the kitchen, finding the remaining ingredients as Ellis whisked them together. Nick sliced olives, fried sausage, and grated cheese… he refused to mess with the peppers. He preferred not having any in his so Ellis decided he'd make Nick's omelets first and then add the peppers afterwards. It was the least he could do for Nick's decision to help him.

Nick set out plates and silverware too and was helping plate the omelets when Rochelle and Coach came in.

"Man does something smell good." Rochelle yawned appreciatively.

"And you said I was on a leash." Coach guffawed. "Seems like Ellis has you whipped good."

Nick glared at Coach, staring him down. He ended up looking away first because Coach was right. He would fix that… just after they finished breakfast.

"Thanks Ellis." Rochelle said as they sat down to eat. Ellis joined them, handing everyone a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. A labor of love is what his mom used to call it… and now Ellis really understood what she meant. Seeing the smile on everyone's faces as they enjoyed the meal that he and Nick had put together he felt a warm happiness settle in his soul…

"Hey now, I helped too." Nick did his best to sound offended but food had put him in too much of a good mood to be cranky.

"Ellis, you are a miracle worker." Rochelle said. Nick caught the double meaning and glared down at his food. How could he have given in to that dumb hick again? What was it about this kid that had him bending over backwards when he couldn't spare a moment for his ex-wife or family?

Breakfast finished with 3 happy faces and 4 full bellies. Packing up they looked at the little gravestone and felt their moods droop. Getting into Jimmy Gibbs they looked back at the farmhouse as they pulled away… each one wondered if the suicidal person didn't have it right. Maybe they were all wasting their time and effort on a dead dream…

"So guys, I hate to put more of a damper on things but we need to refill our grocery stock in this car." Coach said. There was a collective groan from the group.

"An' Jimmy Gibbs needsa lil fuel." Ellis added. He felt dread at having to face the living dead again… he must have grown soft with the easiness of driving a car.

"Well I guess we're in luck guys, there's a gas station ahead. Although… I wouldn't hold your breath for there being gas there." Nick's cynicism returned with full down-casting glory.

"Wouldn't hurt to check for amo too." Rochelle added as she examined her guns.

A chilling quiet filled the car as dread whispered to each person's soul. They hadn't had to really deal with the fear of zombies for a while and they weren't looking forward to the adrenaline rush that came with the terror of wondering if each moment would be your last.

"Man, even I ain't been missin' them. But we gotta do what we gotta do so let's chipper up guys. Could be lots worse right? At least we ain't one of 'em." Ellis said cheerily, forcing some enthusiasm into the air.

"Yet." Nick whispered, glaring out the windows.

Too soon they had reached the gas station. Cautiously each person left the safety of the car.

"Still some gas left." Ellis said softly as he brought the pump over to the car. The other three kept an eye out, fear etched into a couple faces. "She's full." Ellis whispered.

"There's a grocery store across the street." Nick said, nodding his head in the store's direction.

"Ok guys, let's get in and get out with no alarms ok?" Coach said as they crossed the street. Ellis felt the familiar rush of adrenaline as his body readied him for anything. As much as being out here after just a day had made him rusty, it also kind of excited him to be out in the fray again. It was kind of like being too lazy to do something, but once you finally get up the energy to do it you just can't stop and wonder why you didn't start sooner. As much as he dreaded facing the zombies, he anticipated it too…

BANG

Rochelle's shot rang loud and clear, making everyone (including herself) jump. A zombie dropped nearby, twitching in its second death. The shot was like a dinner bell because zombies started appearing from seemingly nowhere. It wasn't a terrible onslaught, just enough to keep everyone busy reloading their guns.

"Definitely going to need to find more ammo." Nick called out as they cleared out several more zombies from the area.

"Let's grab what we need and get out of here." Coach shouted over the moans of the zombies.

Coach was designated food gatherer this go around so while he filled a small basket with food the others covered his back.

"Smoker!" Rochelle shouted as a tongue snaked out around her waist.

"Ro'!" Ellis shouted but he was at the front lines, keeping the zombies from Coach. "Goddamn ya'll stupid zombies." Ellis cursed, kicking one in the face. He turned to try and go after Rochelle again, but was stopped as another zombie made a move for Coach. "Rochelle!" Ellis called out, almost a plea. What could he do? She was being drug from sight and he couldn't do anything about it.

Nick watched the struggle. Rochelle tore at the tongue that had ensnared her, trying to tear it away with the hand that wasn't clinging to her gun. She tried to angle the gun to shoot the tongue loose but she wasn't in a position to be able to get the tongue without shooting herself as well.

Ellis was still fighting to get to her, working his way through a crowd that had grown. Ellis had become so desperate a couple zombies had actually made contact and left a few shallow wounds on his arms and chest. He smacked a couple with the butt of his gun but in his panicked state he just couldn't clear out the zombies fast enough to get to Rochelle and protect Coach at the same time. While this took place Nick stood partially dumbstruck, conscious enough to keep the zombies off of himself but otherwise of no further help.

It was obvious the kid wouldn't make it to Rochelle before it was too late. Nick really didn't relish in being a hero but… Rochelle meant a lot to the kid and she was a good cook, not to mention a valuable asset to the team. Nick sighed inwardly as he went after Rochelle.

Nick wondered to himself if he was doing this for Rochelle or Ellis more… he could just picture the devastation on Ellis' face if they lost Rochelle. He shuddered inwardly…. God why hadn't he reacted sooner? Stupid Nick, Stupid. He raced towards Rochelle, having pulled out his trusty Katana and taking down zombies at a full out run.

Nick let his instincts take over, slicing through anything that had a mind to run toward him. His mind wandered as the katana bit into zombie after zombie, dropping limbs and heads at his feet as he kept working his way to Rochelle. He really hated having to rescue others… it wasn't something he was used to doing… it was always 'look out for number 1' before the zombie apocalypse. Now though… if he did that he was most certainly dead… yet there were moments where those old habits would resurface and it took the fear of a heartbroken hick to get him to move. What the hell was happening to him?

Finally reaching Rochelle Nick paused his thoughts to focus on cutting through the tongue without cutting through Rochelle while also keeping the slobbering masses off both of them. Ellis tried to assist as well but Coach had continued collecting food once they had seen Nick going to save Rochelle.

"Bastard!" Rochelle screamed, flipping around and shooting the smoker that had almost had its claws sunk into her. It exploded into a cloud of smoke.

"You ok?" Nick asked as he coughed through the smoke in the air.

"Fine. It took you long enough." Rochelle said bitterly. She took out her vengeance on all nearby zombies.

"We got what we need!" Coach called near the front of the store.

"Rochelle?" Ellis shouted as he and Coach paused to wait for their comrades.

"I'm ok Honey." She said as she and Nick rejoined them. Ellis hugged her fiercely as Nick and Coach watched for any more attackers.

"Shall we get a move on?" Nick asked impatiently, bumping Ellis with his elbow. Ellis released Rochelle.

"It's ok sweetheart." Rochelle told him softly, noticing how watery his eyes had become. He nodded, swallowing before putting on a brave face. They headed back out into the street to freeze and stare in dread.

"Shit!" Nick exclaimed quietly. Zombies milled about all over… why they hadn't been there before Nick had no clue but they were here now. None had noticed them just yet but once they did the group would be in for a real trip.

"What do we do?" Coach muttered softly, more to himself than the others.

"Come on guys, I got an idea." Ellis said, gesturing back inside the store. They snuck back quietly, luckily not gaining any more attention.

"What's the plan, Ace?" Nick asked, looking forward to anything that doesn't involve taking on that mass. It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the chargers milling about with the boomers.

"This door 'll probly open up to an alley. I figured we could try to sneak through to the building over there." Ellis pointed to a door that he had seen when Rochelle had been attacked by the smoker.

The group snuck over to it, opening it as quietly as they could. Nick peaked his head out and was happy to find that there were no zombies in the alley.

"Look, the upper stories of that building have been safe-housed." Nick pointed out. The others gave sighs in relief. All they had to do was get across the alley and climb up a ladder and they'd be safe… at least for a little while. They'd still have to recollect Jimmy Gibbs as Ellis so kindly reminded them. He still wouldn't leave the car behind, even if it meant taking a serious risk on his life.

"Ok, let's go." Coach said and led the group across the alley. Ellis breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the other side without drawing any attention. Rochelle released a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding when she arrived safely at the other side.

"The Ladder is here." Rochelle said, grabbing hold and starting to climb up.

"Alrighty Ro', we're right behind ya." Ellis whispered up to her. There was a soft creaking as she climbed up the ladder and everyone stopped, listening for any signs they had been discovered. Rochelle made it to the top ok, breathing deeply when she did. Ellis went up next, worried when he heard more creaking.

"Your turn Coach." Nick said as he kept a vigilant eye. So far so good. Coach eyed the ladder wearily but grabbed on, pulling himself up slowly. The ladder groaned under his weight but held. He slowly made his way up and each step brought a louder creak. Noise can only go on for so long without being noticed.

"Shit!" Nick said as a zombie spotted them and ran toward him. Coach was a safe distance up and out of harm's way. Nick was hesitant to shoot because of the swarm that was brought about last time.

Coach was on the last steps of the ladder when, with an unusually loud groan, it gave away. Ellis and Rochelle caught on to Coach's hands before he fell with it. Nick was able to jump out of the way just in time as the ladder clattered to the ground, knocking down the oncoming zombie with it.

Nick stared down the alley at the milling zombies… or 'previously' milling zombies would be more accurate because all the ones he could see halted, staring down the alley. It didn't take long for them to see him and screech out their battle cries.

"Oh God Damned Fucking Tits!" Nick screamed as he ran in the opposite direction. "GOD FUCKING DAMN YOU COACH AND YOUR FUCKING FAT ASS!"

"Nick!" Ellis shouted. A couple zombies stopped to look up at him. The zombies that had been stampeding behind them didn't stop in time and the zombies got tangled up as they all charged towards Nick without noticing the obstacles beneath their feet.

Nick sprinted down the Alley, looking for another door into the building. Turning a corner he came across a door, yanking on it futilely.

"Fuck This!" He growled, shooting the lock and running in to pitch blackness.

Ellis watched Nick disappear around the corner, a few zombies on his tail. As worried as he was about Nick that was the least of his worries. Zombies weren't as stupid as some people might take them for and realizing they couldn't reach their pray by jumping, they started looking around for ways to get to the meals on legs.

Ellis swallowed his fear for Nick and ran into the building, Coach and Rochelle right on his heels. They secured all the doors on that level, making sure they were zombie proof before finally pausing to breathe.

"Oh God Ro, do ya think he'll be alright?" Ellis fought to keep his terror at bay.

"It's Nick we're talking about right? Sweetheart, it's going to take more than being separated from us and a few zombies to finish that stubborn ass off." Rochelle soothed.

"What if he doesn' come back?" Ellis whispered. Dread wrapped its way around Ellis' heart… worse than he had ever felt for either Rochelle or Coach. It was immobilizing, making it hard to breathe. Ellis dropped to his knees, clutching at his heart. Why did Nick affect him so strongly… he was a shady character with a shady past… what makes him any more special than Coach or Rochelle?

"Honey, are you alright?" Rochelle dropped to his side.

"I don' know Ro'." Ellis answered honestly. She rubbed his back soothingly.

"Hey it's going to be alright Ellis." Rochelle told him softly. "He's going to be alright."

"I hope yer right Ro'… I don' know wha' I'll do if not."

Coach sat in silence a little ways away. As much as he didn't get along with the conman, he didn't want the man dead. While Ellis regained control of his breathing with Rochelle's help, Coach said a prayer for the gambler… trying to have faith that the gambler would be returned to them mainly unscathed.

Meanwhile, blackness closed around Nick as he slammed the door behind him. His back slid against the cool door as his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, his heart pounding.

"Damn it!" He cursed as he tried to regulate his heartbeat. As his breathing slowed the previous events played through his head. "Damn Coach and his love of food" Nick growled to himself as he waited for his eyes to adjust. He stood up again, trying to look around in the dim lighting.

Nick held his katana at the ready as he looked for the stairs leading up. The zombies had caught on to the fact their 'could be victims' had taken refuge in the building and had taken to beating on the doors to get in. Nick spat in their general direction, giving the door the finger before heading into a room farther back and finding stairs… as well as a couple zombies.

Nick made short, silent work of them, decapitating them easily with his katana. Wiping the diseased blood off on one of the zombie's shirts he looked around, making sure there were no more zombies as he headed up the stairs.

Shivers ran up Nick's spine as he heard sobbing. He snuck farther up the stairs, watching out for any signs of the only infected that really terrified him. Continuing up the stairs as quietly as he could, he heard the sobbing get louder but still couldn't see the source. He reached the second floor to find the witch sitting right in front of the door that would lead to Ellis and the others.

"Fucking Tits!" Nick cursed. The witch froze at the noise, turning to stare at Nick. He tensed, fear coursing through his body as glowing red eyes settled on him. She let out a piercing scream before racing at him.

"Oh Shit!" Nick shouted as he raced down the stairs and right into the arms of another zombie.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Fucking Shit!" became Nick's mantra as he ducked out of the zombie's reach. It chomped at him, trying in vain to reach him. The witch got caught up in the other zombies. She slashed through them, obviously not liking them much more than Nick did. Zombies, using a little thought process, gave her a wide berth… leaving her with him.

Nick stared at the Witch which crept towards him slowly. The look on her face was so akin to his ex-wife's that Nick could almost laugh… almost.

The witch lunged at him, claws extended. Nick blocked the attack with his sword before swinging around and trying to catch her off guard. It worked but only to a point…he was able to nick one of her legs but she also got in a good swipe at him, cutting him across the ribs.

"Fuck you!" Nick shouted in rage and pain. He put all of his strength into his swing, knowing that this swing would be do or die. He almost sagged in relief as he felt the sword go through the witch, cutting her cleanly in half. She fell to the ground, one last scream echoing from her lips. Seeing the witch dead the other zombies groaned in glee before sprinting for Nick.

"Oh God Damn This!" He shouted as he turned to run up the stairs. He fell, hard, as a zombie got a hold of his foot. Horror spread through Nick's heart as he realized he was going to die… he was finally becoming a meal for these bastards. What a way to die.

"We hafta go save him!" Ellis decided, leaping to his feet.

"Now boy, we barely escaped with our lives. And we don't even know where Nick is." Coach reasoned. He was giving Ellis a look like 'why would you even want to save Nick?'.

"But we haf to." Ellis tried to reason. "He'd do the same fer us…"

"Are you sure about that?" Coach inquired.

"For once I have to agree with Coach, Ellis. If it were us or his life, Nick would pick his life every time. Unlike you, sweetheart, who seems to choose us over your own life." Rochelle said softly, smiling fondly at Ellis. He tried to smile back but his face was immobile.

"Becuz we're a family." Rochelle and Coach looked at Ellis in surprise. "No one gets left behind."

"Honey… how do I put this nicely…? Nick wouldn't…. he's not the kind of guy who… he's not a family guy Ellis." Rochelle explained softly.

"You don't know nothin' bout Nick!" Ellis shouted suddenly, glaring at Rochelle. "An' I don' care one way er another if ya come with but I'm gonna go save him."

Before Ellis could get a few steps toward the door something slammed into him and he landed face first on the floor. Coach had him pinned.

"Going down there right now is not just dangerous to your own life, which is important to Ro and me, but also to us. You'd be leading the horde to us and then where would we all be? Stuck on the roof of some godforsaken building. Just wait it out. Nick will make it back to us." Coach said, before releasing Ellis. Tears pricked the back of Ellis' eyes, feeling completely hopeless. He conceded defeat though… they had a point. And who was he to risk Rochelle and Coach's life too?

Not wanting any one to see him weak Ellis stalked into a smaller room and slammed the door behind him, locking it before collapsing. What would he do if he never saw Nick again? Ellis swallowed thickly, praying he would never have to know.

Nick's stomach sank as he was drug farther down, greedy hands reaching and grabbing at him. They always say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die… but all he saw were flashes of Ellis… when he first met the hick on the top of the building, at gun point no less; All the silly arguments they had gotten into, like the oatmeal and the burial and the car; all the episodes with that freaking hat…. would he really never be able to see the kid again?

Definitely not in the afterlife…. He concluded. He knew that he and Ellis were going to two very different places so seeing him after death was not an option.

Would the kid even miss him? He knew it would be a load off of Coach's back to have him dead… and he wasn't really sure what Rochelle would think. She'd probably be sorry that he died but find life a lot easier without his snarky cynicism. But the Kid… what would he think? Is he even worried right now?

All these thoughts elapsed in just a couple minutes; just long enough to keep Nick's mind occupied as the slavering mouths grinned up at him. Looking at those faces settled Nick's resolve.

"Dammit, I have come too far to fucking die now!" Nick lifted his Katana, severing the hands clinging to him and the heads that were in his reach. Nick went into a mindless battle mode, finding reserves of strength built up over the restful days and throwing it all into the fight. While he battled he thought about the kid… Why is it that he couldn't even save himself for himself, his main motivation was so that that small town country boy wouldn't be heartbroken.

Nick made an attempt to reach for his gun, still swinging with the katana, but had it ripped from his grasp.

"I didn't need the gun to finish off you fuckers anyway." Nick shouted at them, attacking again and again. He was standing in a bloody mess of zombies yet still more came. They must have been the zombies milling about outside Nick reasoned.

Nick continued regardless of the pain in his shoulder or the heaviness that was starting to fall over his limbs. There were just so many zombies… too many zombies. He couldn't win this battle….

Wow Nick, you really are going soft. Nick glared at his inner voice which always seemed to mock him at the worst times. 'Shut up' he told it shortly. Oh but look at you… you can't even take down a few zombies… you are soft and week and corroding away from the inside. 'There are not just a few zombies. This is in the 30's or 40's.. and they're all attacking me.' Never stopped you before… not when your attackers had brains anyway. 'And it won't be stopping me now!'

Nick felt a little rejuvenated as zombies in the 30's turned to zombies in the 20's, and then the 10's. Before long there were only a few stragglers which Nick finished off with a couple of lazy swings. Nick fell to his knees as the last zombie collapsed headless in front of him. He had done it… he had done what a normal human could not accomplish. Those years fighting on the streets really had paid off after all.

As he fought to stand back up he wondered if Ellis and them were ok. They didn't usually leave him to fight alone… they'd always try to regroup. Something must have happened that prevented them from helping him… like maybe there were zombies in the upper levels.

Nick pondered this as he drug his fatigued body up the stairs. Funny how the last time he was on these stairs we was being drug down. It felt like eons ago though… He would be able to see that godforsaken mechanic again. Nick smirked to himself as he leaned on his Katana and caught his breath.

Nick regained enough of his strength to walk up the stairs, using the katana minimally as a crutch. He finally reached the door, sighing in relief as he leaned against it. He twisted the door knob and let out a groan of irritation when he found it locked.

"Hey you guys, let me in!" Nick shouted, pounding on the door. Amazing how much strength will come back to you when you are no longer in an impossible situation. Feeling himself sag against the door he changed his thought to 'funny how strength can come back in bursts and then disappear just as quickly'.

Ellis' head shot up as he heard the door. His first thought was that the zombies had found him but as soon as he heard the string of profanities he raced to the door. Throwing it open he caught Nick just before he hit the floor.

"Oh, hey Overalls." Nick said, smiling stupidly. Ellis grinned back, hugging the conman.

"Aw Nick. I thought you were gonna die."

"Me? Die? Like that's possible." Nick said, sitting up. Ellis helped him back to his feet before hugging him again.

"Ok sport, since when did I say it was ok to touch me?" Nick teased, awkwardly patting Ellis on the head. Ellis fought down the tears of relief and gratitude but he couldn't help his voice getting choked up.

"They wouldn' let me help you Nick. With all them zombies, I thought you were good as dead."

"Hey now.. I'm ok see? I'm all in one piece. The zombies are done for." Nick grinned down at the hick until what Ellis had first said hit him…

"Wait… Coach and Rochelle wouldn't let you help me? So you could have? I was left alone to fight those fuckers because of them?" Nick's voice rose as his anger did.

"'m Sorry Nick. I wanted ta help ya." Ellis said looking up at Nick. Nick moved to shove Ellis away but seeing the tears still hidden behind his eyes his anger evaporated.

"I know you did, Kid. I'm ok though." Nick felt strangely soft and sentimental. He couldn't explain it but there was just something about the hick that made him question being a bastard. The thought scared him…

"Kid, I don't suppose you could help me over to a place to sit down." Nick asked, realizing how heavily he was leaning on Ellis.

"Alright Nick. There's a bed in here." Ellis said, assisting Nick into the room he had been in to avoid Rochelle and Coach. Nick collapsed on the bed almost immediately.

"Anything I can get ya?" Ellis asked, taking a seat next to the bed.

"No, I just need to sleep." Nick looked Ellis over, taking notice that Ellis' wounds hadn't been bandaged yet. He'd have to see to that when he woke up. Relaxing into the heavenly bed his breathing evened out and his eyes grew heavy.

"'m glad you're back ok Nick." Ellis said softly. He watched Nick's chest rise and fall, happy that Nick didn't hate him. Nick had mentioned that there were no more worries about the zombies downstairs… Nick hadn't taken them all out had he?

Looking Nick over Ellis saw some bandaging he'd have to make sure to do when Nick woke up. None of it was bad enough to be life threatening thankfully, just painful. Nick's body was a canvas of scratches and tears. Even so, he looked extremely peaceful in sleep.

Ellis knew he shouldn't but he couldn't resist temptation any more. Taking one of Nick's hands in his own, he reached up to stroke a couple of stray strands of hair out of Nick's face. He slid his hand softly down Nick's cheek, relishing in the smooth skin to prickly stubble.

Realizing what he was doing, he wrenched his hand away, staring at it in shock. What would his momma be saying to him right now? She lived by the bible… and so did he. Ellis was glad Nick was ok as a friend, nothing more. He stood up stiffly, trying to shake off the sadness that threatened to consume him. It confused him greatly, his feelings for the conman. They weren't even justifiable… he didn't know why he was willing to take a bullet for this man. He shook his head, rearranging his hat and left the room to think about the past events of the day. He had to come up with a plan to get back to Jimmy Gibbs as well… the time to think would be nice. He also had to find it within himself to forgive Rochelle and Coach for how they treated Nick.. they might have been doing what they thought best but they should have let him go help. Nick really was close to getting killed if he took on as many zombies as Ellis was picturing.

Nick stayed perfectly still as Ellis left the room, focusing on his breathing. He reached up slowly to run his fingers over where Ellis had touched his cheek… tingles sparked from the spot. Why had he let the kid do that? And what was up with the kid's reaction? Nick's mind was too foggy to really mill over all the events that had happened today… he was all too happy to let his mind sink into the bliss of sleep.


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

So haying season… it' a real bummer when it takes up my writing time. Also, College will be starting soon for me. Chapter 7 may be a little slower than the rest in coming out but rest assured, I will be working on it in any spare time or inspired moments. I'm having a lot of fun writing this… and it surprises me that I'm not even really making a dent in all I want to do with this story. If you have any ideas you want incorporated in, tell me. No promises or anything… but I may be able to fit it in someway, somewhere you know? And if you don't, no problem. I've made it this far after all Hope you enjoy Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nick shot up, fully awake and head clear from terror. The sudden movement sparked a searing pain in his side and he clutched at it, everything flooding back to his mind; the ladder falling, his near death, and Ellis… his mind always went back to Ellis. Pushing the pain to the back of his mind he noticed said mechanic sleeping in a chair nearby, head resting on his hand and drool slowly trailing down his arm.

As if realizing that there was someone watching him, Ellis awoke with a start. He looked at Nick for a moment before giving him a tired grin.

"Glad ta see ya awake." Ellis said as he yawned, stretching in the chair. "How's yer side doin'?"

Nick shrugged, trying to hide his wince at the movement.

"Well if ya hold still, I'll get ya all bandaged up." Ellis said, picking up a med-kit that had been set next to the chair. He brought it over to Nick, opening it on the bed. Pulling out what he would need, Ellis looked expectantly at Nick. Nick stared back a moment before shrugging tenderly out of his 'was white once upon a time a long time ago' jacket and his 'was a shirt before this damned apocalypse'. Ellis winced when he saw Nick's side.

"Oh man Nick… this don' look healthy." Ellis started dabbing at the wound gently, wiping at the blood that had sealed over it. Nick swallowed the pain, doing his best not to flinch away from Ellis. He took a deep breath, trying to stay in control but it just sent another spike of pain through his system.

"Am I going to die Overalls?" Nick asked, throwing in just a hint of drama. He had to figure some way to get his mind off the ache of the wounds. You'd think he'd be used to it by now, after a couple weeks of dealing with this.

"I don' think so." Ellis said. His tone told tales of how absurd he thought that was. By no means was it a little cut, but it wasn't deadly. It was a few inches below a fatal blow however; 3 inches higher and it would have gotten Nick's heart.

"Well, that's all I'm worried about." Nick held his breath as Ellis put the cleaning fluids over the wound. Nick watched it fizz up, burning along the opening in his side.

"I do not envy you righ' now Nick. This cut is really somethin'." Ellis said, dabbing along the edges of the wound.

"Between a 1 and a 10, how badass is it?" Nick tried to look at the wound but it was just out of sight and twisting to see the wound not only blocked Ellis from continuing to tend to the wound, but it tore at the edges, sending a shock of agony up his side.

"Pro'ly a 5." Ellis said honestly. "'s not tha' bad. But it's gonna hurt like hell cuz a how shallow it is. Might cause ya some trouble when we get back in ta the fray."

"Great…" Nick muttered.

"Yep… uh Nick, yer gonna wanna hold still a moment. 'm gonna need ta stitch this a bit."

"Ellis have you ever-" Nick started. The unfamiliar prick of a needle through his skin had his teeth clenching on a shout. If he wasn't afraid of letting out a very unmanly scream, a string of profanities would be falling from his mouth.

"Nope, this woul' be my firs' time. Ro' an' Coach never let me stitch'm up cuz Coach an' Ro' can do better than me. But seein' as they're kinda sore with me an' they put me in charge uv yer full recovery, they won' be comin' in ta stitch ya up." While Ellis rambled on, he closed up the wound. Nick just glared at Ellis, teeth clamped together so hard it was starting to hurt his jaw.

"Man, I've only ever stitched someone up once before."

"Keith?" Nick got out as Ellis paused to admire his work.

"Yep." Ellis nodded enthusiastically, continuing the stitching. "Keith had wanted ta give crocodile fishin' a try or some such nonsense an' a course I had ta make sure he didn' get 'imself killed." Ellis shook his head in mock disapproval, lost in some memory. He didn't stop mending the wound however, keeping the needle at a fairly constant rhythm.

"Needless ta say things didn' go all tha' well. Ya see, we didn' even know where we could find a gator, much less how ta go fishin for 'em."

Nick focused on Ellis, wondering what was running through the hick's head. He just rambled away, not even noticing that Nick wasn't listening.. or not caring. Nick let the words wash over him, not really listening to the words themselves, just the joy in which they were told.

"Come ta think of it, 's the firs' time I ever held a needle." Ellis finished, sitting back with a look of approval. "Shoot, I did a mighty fine job I think." Ellis grinned up at Nick who couldn't help his smirk in return. He moved slowly, twisting and turning, checking Ellis' handiwork… and he had to admit, the mechanic had done a fairly decent job. Maybe not as good as Rochelle or Coach but the wound would heal pretty well…

"Ya have a couple more cuts to clean up but I think we've taken care a the worst of it." Ellis said, patting Nicks arm before grabbing his cleaning cloth. While Nick was sleeping Ellis had come to terms with his irrational behavior, deciding he had felt the need because Nick needed some comforting.. even if he wasn't really awake to notice. After he had resolved that he went to talk to Coach and Rochelle, telling them that Nick had come home safely.

Ellis was glad to see that Rochelle and Coach seemed happy about it… He was happy to have his family back together… After that there had been an argument about keeping Ellis from helping Nick again. Ellis had realized, after Nick made it back safely, that family risk their lives for family… Rochele and Coach being more worried about their own lives had been selfish, greedy, and unloyal of them by Ellis' standards.

Coach and Rochelle were not pleased by Ellis' lecture. They both told him to just go take care of Nick, both of them had dark scowls on their faces. Ellis didn't understand why they were angry at _him._ He and Nick should be angry at _them._

Ellis pulled his mind back to the present, focusing on getting all the wounds… trying to ignore the tingling sensation that shot through his fingers whenever he brushed against Nick's skin by accident. He bandaged Nick's wounds tenderly, aware of how painful his sewing job must have been and attempting to make up for it.

While Ellis was working he found himself observing the dark hair that covered Nick's chest. He wondered to himself what it would feel like just to run his fingers through it…. Then his mind slapped him into reality; What the hell are you doing ogling a man? Ellis felt heat rush to his cheeks as he continued repairing the scrapes and cuts that littered Nick's body.

Nick tried to focus on anything but Ellis… Every time the hicks fingers ran over his skin it sent shocks through his system. He noticed how soft Ellis' hands were as they worked to help heal the zombie inflicted wounds. Disapproving of his bodies reaction, he crossed his legs… glaring off into nothing as Ellis finished off the last bandage, smiling.

"You coulda been a lot worse for wear."

"Yeah, I 'coulda been' dead." Nick shook his head at the thought… he wasn't dead though. He was here, still on this Earth, still fighting for a lost cause. "Thanks Kid."

"'m jus' really glad yer ok Nick." Ellis' sincerity rang true in his voice. He wanted to hug Nick but… realizing Nick wouldn't appreciate it (not to mention he was still shirtless) he refrained.

"Well Kid, looks like someone needs to clean you up as well." Nick said, looking Ellis over. He didn't have any serious damage but enough that if they weren't taken care of it could cause trouble in the future.

"Ah, it ain't nothin'. I'm fine." Ellis said, shrugging. If Nick hadn't known him better he would have taken the kid for his word.

"Take your shirt off." Nick commanded, searching through the med-kit for a clean cloth. Ellis sat watching him, shirt still annoyingly in place. Nick stopped to stare back.

"Well?" Nick said with irritation.

Ellis just stared, a flurry of emotions running through his head. Nick tried to avoid healing him whenever he could… but this one time when he didn't feel he needed it Nick had to make sure it was done. Ellis took his hat off to run his fingers through his hair, trying to understand the complex man sitting before him.

"I told ya I don' need it Nick." Ellis said simply, shrugging.

"Oh God Damn. Why are you so fucking difficult Overalls?" Nick growled. He had half a mind to tackle the kid and take his shirt off by force but 1.) He was Nick… he didn't work hard to do things for others… Just No… and 2.) he didn't want to tear open the stitches just to have them re-stitched.

"I dunno." Ellis said, attempting to smile cutely. He knew how his country boy charm affected people.. although apparently Nick was immune because he didn't lighten up in the least.

"Take the goddamned shirt off Ellis!" Nick worked to keep his voice under control. Stupid, infuriating, annoying, rambling, little town country boy!

"No." Ellis said. "I don' need it."

"Well I say you do so you had better take off that motherfucking shirt before you make me do something about it." Nick had no idea what drove him but whatever it was… he no longer cared about his stitches or his tendency to avoid healing Ellis. He was going to clean those cuts and that was the end of it.

Ellis stared Nick down a few more moments. He hated giving in to anyone but he was afraid that Nick would actually tear his shirt off and it was his favorite shirt… even if it had zombie splatter on it. Slowly he pulled up the hem and tugged the shirt off.

Nick tried not to gawk at the mass of rippling muscle before him… Ok, Ellis was no body builder nor did he have a swimmer body but oh man was he a sight to see. Nick felt his body react in an all too pleasant way. Something stopped his admiration of Ellis' body however…

"Ellis…" Nick stalked over to him, eyes dark and foreboding. "When was the last time someone healed you?"

Ellis shrugged, looking down. He was fine, he told Nick he was fine. Why didn't Nick ever believe him?

"How long have you had this?" Nick ran his finger along the edge of a gash that ran from Ellis' left shoulder blade to half way down his spine. Ellis shivered involuntarily, catching both men off guard.

"Dunno… hunter got me on one a the grocery runs an' I jus' didn' have the time ta fix it up." Truthfully Ellis had tried to fix it up but it was in just the right spot that he couldn't reach. He hadn't wanted to bother Nick or the others with it either… especially not Nick with his lack of willingness to heal Ellis.

Nick ran his thumb along the edge of the wound again, eliciting another shiver from Ellis.

"You need to take better care of yourself." Nick's voice was dangerously low as he scrutinized the gash marring Ellis' skin.

Ellis held his breath, asking himself what he had gotten into. Nick poured a cleaning liquid onto the clean cloth before running the cloth along the wound, washing off dark colored blood that was matted around it. The orangey-brown liquid fizzed, working deep into the wound and killing bad bacteria along the way.

"You can really be dumb sometimes, Sport." Nick mumbled, He rubbed at the wound until it was clean, a little new blood leaking down the edge. He wiped away the fizzing liquid, grabbed a new clean cloth and added more. The fizzing liquid foamed lighter this time, showing how much cleaner the injury had become.

Ellis focused on keeping his breathing even. Nick's touch had caused his body to react in ways that it never had before. What did it all mean? He tried to ignore the fact that Nick was still shirtless, standing very close behind him… and then he wondered why it was important to ignore the fact. It was just Nick after all.. why would he react this way to Nick?

"Alright kid, that injury is good to go." Nick said, touching the gauze that was now wrapped around the wound. The other injuries weren't so bad, just shallow scratches that Ellis mainly aquired when he had been trying to save Rochelle.

"Thanks Nick." Ellis whispered, trying to swallow.

"Yeah, no problem Kid." Nick said, patting Ellis on the head before heading out of the room to see what he could get to eat.

"Good to see you up." Rochelle said warmly, looking up at him when he came into the kitchen.

"Thanks Rochelle." Nick said softly.

"Boy, you seem lost in another world." Coach said as he noticed Nick wandering around.

"Near Death experiences do that to you." Nick explained, too confused by his own whirlwind of thoughts to be upset with either Rochelle or Coach.

"Well maybe some food will bring you back down to Earth." Coach suggested.

"Your answer is always food." Rochelle muttered, stirring something in a large pot.

"Well I fer one think it's a purdy good answer." Ellis said, grinning as he came in. Rochelle and Coach looked at each other, passing knowing glances. No one could stay mad at Ellis for long… he was just too much of a sweetheart for that.

"Men." Rochelle groaned in a teasing manner.

"Women." Ellis and Coach replied. Nick just stared out of the cracks of a boarded up window, trying to come to terms with his confused thoughts. Why now? Why in the middle of an apocalypse? Why Ellis?

"Well if you want to be that way, I'll just keep all of this Gumbo to myself." Rochelle threatened, pointing a spatula at Coach and Ellis. Their eyes lit up at the mention of food…

"Would ya really let someone this 'dorable starve?" Ellis asked, giving Rochelle puppy dog eyes.

"You? Adorable? Boy, get out of here." Coach said, giving Ellis a playful shove. Ellis laughed, shoving Coach back.

"Hey Coach, bet I can beat ya in an arm wrestlin' contest." Ellis dared, grinning. Coach took the bait.

"You are on." Ellis and Coach sat down at the table, setting up for the battle.

"Nick? Can ya referee? Ro' is busy cookin'." Ellis asked.

"Sure, sure." Nick was altogether amused by Ellis' shenanigans. Ellis leaned toward Coach, setting his elbow on the table. Coach followed suit and they clasped hands. Nick could see them flexing their biceps, trying to psyche the other out. He set his hands over their's, feeling a tremor run through him from coming into contact with Ellis yet again.

"Ready? Set. Go!" Nick said, releasing Coach and Ellis' hands.

"You are so goin' down Coach." Ellis taunted. Neither were really physically straining all that much at that point.

"Boy, you are going to be tired and done before we even start." Coach pushed lightly against Ellis, smirking when the mechanic's arm gave a little. Ellis strained to push enough so that both men were on equal ground again.

Nick found the whole thing entertaining. He wasn't quite sure who would win the match… Coach had age and experience on his side, but Ellis had young strength. At this point, Nick was rooting for Coach… he hadn't even broken out in a sweat yet while Ellis' face had started to turn red.

Slowly but surely Coach put a little more pressure, pushing Ellis' hand closer to the table. Ellis fought to prevent it but it seemed a losing battle. Coach just smirked as the first droplet of sweat slid down his brow.

"Ya gonna give up?"

"No."

"Good, 's better to beat someone than ta win by forfeit."

"Oh I don't plan on letting you win."

"Well you had better put it into your schedule because I am going to win."

Nick watched the sweat bead along Ellis' temple… he highly doubted that the kid would beat Coach but weirder things have happened…

Ellis' hand was only a couple inches from the table… He fought to pick it up but it felt like pressing against a stone wall. Well it wouldn't be so bad to lose to Coach, at least he had fun right?

"Ellis, I thought you said you could beat him." Nick chastised as Ellis' ground slipped from 2 inches to 1.

"I. Am." Ellis ground out, pressing all of his strength into pushing Coach's arm back. He looked a little surprised; especially when Ellis was able to start gaining ground again.

"There's the Ace we know and love. For a minute there I was afraid you were starting to give up." Nick grinned as Ellis was able to press up far enough that he and Coach were almost equal again…

"Just don't give up, right?" Nick added.

"Hey now, we don't need peanuts from the peanut gallery." Coach said, only partially serious.

"You may not, but I do." Ellis said, smiling as he was able to get their hands level again. Sweat was dripping down Ellis' temple and beading on his lip.

"But that's cheating. You have a cheering section." Coach said, mock hurt in his voice.

"Go Coach! Yay! You know you can defeat Ellis…" Rochelle cheered with only half enthusiasm. "Sorry Coach, never trained as a cheer leader."

"Thanks Rochelle, you're doing just fine." Coach said, even though he was still losing ground.

Nick watched, fascinated, as a bead of sweat worked its way down Ellis' face. He shook himself out of it, focusing on the match.

Little by little Ellis pushed Coach down until they were in an all-out battle on a couple more inches. Both men were showing signs of fatigue, Coach more than Ellis. Ellis grinned, putting all he had in to shoving down but in a last move, Coach pushed back. Ellis' hand slammed hard against the table…

"Woo! Coach has still got it!" Coach crowed, cheering… before wincing and rubbing his sore arm.

"Good Job Coach." Ellis said. Nick seemed surprised that Ellis didn't seem to mind at all that he lost… what was wrong with this kid? Doesn't he understand that winning is everything? And losing to an old, fat man like Coach doesn't bode well for Ellis' physical prowess.

"Yep, I still got you all beat!" Coach continued.

"Don't strain yourself patting yourself on the back, ok?" Nick said darkly. He hated losing… even if it was only the person he was rooting for lost.

"You wanna go agin Coach?" Ellis challenged. "Bet ya I can beat ya this time 'round."

"Just to prove you wrong, sure, one more time won't hurt." Coach answered.

"You want to make this more interesting Nick?" Rochelle asked him as Ellis and Coach prepared for round 2. Nick glanced at her in interest.

"I found a pack of cigars at one of the other places and figured I'd use it to barter with you eventually. So I'm betting these on Coach winning again." Nick's interest immediately sparked.

"Sounds fair enough, although I don't have anything to match that bet."

"Next time we sing 'show tunes' you have to join us." Rochelle snickered. Nick felt the blood drain a little from his face but he kept his cool. Ellis could win, right? Yeah, no problem… The first match was just a warm up.

"Ok-"

"And…"

"And?" Nick asked unenthusiastically.

"Chocolate."

"I think that's hardly worth-" Nick started until Rochelle showed him the pack of cigars… they were really, _really_ high grade. He would only smoke those back in the day only after an extremely good (or extremely, extremely bad) gambling day.

"Deal." Nick said, shaking Rochelle's hand. It wouldn't be all that difficult finding chocolate if need be… he might find some anyway, just to try and get on Rochelle's good side. There was no way in hell though, whether Ellis lost or not, that he would sing those god forsaken show tunes.

"You two ready?" Nick said, coming over to referee again. After receiving a nod from both men he said 'Ready, Set, Go' and released their hands.

"I'm counting on you, Kid." Nick said softly, so only Ellis could hear. Ellis gave the barest nod of acknowledgement, a look of determination crossing his features. There was no friendly banter this time as Ellis focused on taking Coach down. He was strong enough to beat Coach, of that he was certain…. but a certain finesse is required in arm wrestling and now that he had a better understanding of Coach's style he had a better chance of winning… and it never hurt to have someone rooting for you.

Ellis could feel a drop of sweat drip down his neck and slide down his back but he ignored it, focusing all he had into winning. He really didn't mind losing, fun was fun… but if Nick really wanted him to win, well he wanted to prove to Nick his faith in him wasn't undeserved.

Neither man had started yet so Ellis tested his ground, putting minimal pressure against Coach. Coach shoved right back, gaining the advantage. Ellis wasn't taking any of that this time around, fighting for all he was worth and slowly but surely gaining ground. Coach focused, trying to stop Ellis' gain but to no avail… The resounding thump of Coach's hand against the table rang around the room.

Ellis grinned charmingly, proud of his achievement.

"You just caught me because I was tired from the first match." Coach said good-naturedly. He fondly messed up Ellis' hat before turning to see if the food was done.

"Almost." Rochelle answered before he could ask. This sent all three men into a round of chuckles… sometimes Rochelle was just too good. She passed Nick the pack of cigars, smiling at him with something Nick couldn't quite decipher. Nick shrugged, pocketing the package and heading over to the table to sit next to Ellis.

"Knew you could do it, Sport." Nick said, punching Ellis lightly.

"Mhmmm… 'm purdy sure ya doubted me for a while there."

"You know me too well." Nick said, shaking his head in amusement.

Rochelle watched the men's eyes light up as she set bowls down in front of each of them. It never ceased to amaze her how happy food can make a man. Well, her mother had always told her, the way to a man's heart is through their stomachs. What would they do without her?

Ellis, having been raised with manners, waited until Rochelle was seated with her own bowl before digging in. It was really difficult for him to fight the temptation though when Nick and Coach were chowing down almost the instant food was placed in front of them. Coach was up getting seconds before Rochelle had even taken her first bite.

"Coach, ya better not eat it all." Ellis said as he watched Coach fill his bowl to the brim. Coach just shrugged, sitting down to eat his second helping. Ellis took a bite of the gumbo and froze. He could almost hear his taste buds singing 'Hallelujah'. It's funny how being hungry can make food taste that much better, but besides that the Gumbo was just downright delicious.

"So how man beds in this place?" Coach asked, looking around drowsily.

Nick and Ellis were up getting seconds while Rochelle was setting her dish in the sink. They all three looked around…

"I know of one." Nick said.

"I found that there's a fold out couch." Rochelle offered, leading the men into another room and pointing out an old, beat up couch. Ellis shrugged and headed back to the decided dining room to finish eating his seconds.

"You wouldn't make an old man sleep on such an uncomfortable spot, would you?" Coach asked. Coach attempted an innocent expression but failed. Ellis felt a little bad for the guy though…

"Sure Coach, 's all yours." Ellis said, shrugging.

"But Ellis…" Nick said, glaring at Coach. It was kind of permanently Rochelle and Coach sharing a bed and Nick and Ellis sharing the other.

"Ellis, sweetheart, that's so kind of you." Rochelle smiled, knowing that meant she got the bed too. Ellis had thought of that as well… Nick and he were strong, energetic men and could handle a bit of discomfort where as Coach was… well not old but older and Rochelle was a lady.

"Well Nick, 'sup ta you if ya wanna sleep on the floor or on the couch." Ellis shrugged, setting his empty dish in the sink. Nick glared down at his half empty bowl… why did he get stuck with the sap. Nick rolled his eyes, choosing not to answer. He finished his own bowl, and tossed it in the sink.

Nick wandered around the building a little bit… it looked like a work complex… something to do with construction. It must have been a pretty successful place for the lunch room to have a stocked fridge and stove… and he was assuming the beds were moved in during the apocalypse. He read the graffiti lining the walls and wonder if any of these people made it out alive. Anything was possible but he highly doubted it…

Entering into a fairly large room, Nick found a pile of books. Browsing through them, he picked one that might be of interest to him… and after a thought grabbed a book that might entertain Ellis. He wasn't sure if the kid was really into reading but it couldn't hurt to find out.

Walking back into the room with the couch Nick paused to restart his heart. Ellis was bent over the couch, trying to get it to unfold… Nick swallowed thickly, looking away.

"Oh hey Nick, think you can give me a hand?" Ellis said, struggling with some sort of latch. Nick shook his head, trying to rid him-self of images and implications of that sentence. He set his books onto a table nearby before heading over to see what Ellis was having trouble with.

"For being a mechanic, you are awfully dull sometimes." Nick said, flipping a switch and watching Ellis jump out of the way as the bed sprang out of the couch. Nick was glad to note that his voice did not waver… it was its usual level, dry self.

"Ok, so the couch won a round. Big deal." Ellis said, jumping onto said bed and bouncing a few times before settling down. Nick grabbed his books and sat down on the other side of the bed.

"Watcha got there?" Ellis said. Nick tossed him a book before settling down to read the one he had chosen for him-self. He glanced over the top of the book, watching Ellis' eyes widen.

"Where'd you find this?!" Ellis said, hugging the thick paperback with 'Understanding Mechanical Things Inside and Out' proudly stamped across the cover. Nick shrugged in answer, focusing back on his own book 'The Best of Poe', more specifically 'The Cask of Amontillado '. The Raven on the cover was the main thing to catch his interest but he knew of Edgar Allan Poe and had been interested in reading something by him for a while.

"Nick…" Ellis poked Nick's arm, pulling Nick's attention from the book.

"Yeah?" Nick watched Ellis over the top of the book.

"I just wanted to say thanks." Ellis said, hugging the book tighter before settling down to read it. Ellis was soon lost in a world of mechanical mastery while Nick let his mind drift into the dark realm of his own book.

Ellis awoke with a start, not even aware he had fallen asleep. He tried to assess his surroundings while keeping his breathing fairly even.

"Hi Ace." Nick muttered. Ellis had his head resting on Nick's arm… Nick wasn't sure why he had allowed it. He had been lost in 'The Cask of Amontillado' when the country boy had rolled over and curled into Nick's side. Nick had been awake… he could have said no or get lost… but he had just stayed still and grinned, enjoying his book.

Ellis blushed, looking anywhere but at Nick. He didn't make a move out of his current position.

"Sorry." Ellis mumbled. Nick didn't reply, just attempted to continue reading his book. Having his reading zone effectively interrupted Nick gave up on reading for the night, closing the book and setting it under his pillow, trying not to jostle Ellis too much.

"Eh, when the world has turned into cannibal freaks… sometimes it's nice to know that you're not the only one who's still alive." Nick said nonchalantly. In his head he wasn't really sure why he hadn't shoved Ellis away…

Ellis wondered why he didn't feel uncomfortable, lying this close to Nick. Maybe it was just because he needed another person. Maybe… Ellis shrugged to himself, accepting Nick's kindness. Before he really knew it, he was asleep again.

Nick watched Ellis fall asleep, taking comfort in the fact that Ellis hadn't pushed him away either. Things could be a lot worse, he supposed. At least he wasn't the last man on Earth… and for the love of God at least he wasn't interested in Coach.

The next day started out ok... the plan to get the car was in place and they were ready to move out. The zombies had moved on more or less… there were still a few stragglers but nothing that a few well aimed bullets or bat swings couldn't finish.

Ellis led the group, naturally. He ducked and rolled through doors, keeping an eye out for any kind of undead activity. When they reached the downstairs, 3 out of the 4 stopped to stare at the 4th in amazement.

"You took down all of them?" Rochelle gawked.

"All by yourself?" Coach's jaw was practically resting on the floor.

"You are badass man!" Ellis said, patting Nick on the back before taking the lead. It was difficult getting through the pile at first but they were able to achieve it without making too much noise.

Ellis rolled behind a desk, sneaking a peek around the corner. When he saw nothing milling about he motioned for the others to follow. They walked casually over to where he crouched, earning a disapproving glare from the over-enthused 'leader'.

Shrugging, Ellis belly crawled across the floor before reaching the door and pressing against the door frame. He peered around the corner before nodding to the others and sprinting out the door. Ellis wanted to give a battle cry as he ran through the streets toward his car but knew better, considering it seemed like the zombies were getting smarter if they were attracted by the sounds of bullets.

By the time Nick, Rochelle, and Coach reached the door there were no zombies still meandering about. Ellis stood with his foot on the chest of the last in plain sight, the head a few feet away. Ellis patted the hood of his car before blowing it a kiss and getting in. He drove it over to the others who hadn't moved far from the door way.

"Here we go again." Coach said, piling in. Rochelle and Nick followed.

"Why couldn't Jimmy Gibbs be a minivan driver?" Nick mumbled darkly.

"Well tha's kinda obvious." Ellis said. Before he could break into an explanation Nick held up his hand.

"Kid, I don't want to know why. I just wish he had… I kind of appreciated it more when I didn't have an elbow in my sides and could stretch my legs out all the way."

"At least we don't have to walk." Coach added.

"'s yer side ok, Nick?" Ellis asked, noticing that Nick did indeed have elbows dangerously close to being in his sides.

"It's fine." Nick growled, his foul mood showing through.

"Here." Ellis handed Nick the book he had been reading earlier.

"Thanks Sport…" Nick hadn't even thought about grabbing the book. It was kind of a luxury, not a necessity, so he had left it behind even though it had saddened him a little. The trip was starting to look a little better already. At least now he had something to focus on when the other three decided to start up with show tunes. Speaking of which…

"If yer goin' through hell…" Ellis started.

"Keep on movin'." Coach joined in.

"Don't slow down." Rochelle continued.

"If you're scared don't show it!  
You might get out before the devil even knows you're there." They chorused. Having gotten all those who would sing on track, Ellis started the song from the beginning.. it was one he knew well.

"Well ya know those times when ya feel like

There's a sign there on yer back

Tha' says I don' mind if ya kick me,

Seems like ev'rybody has." Ellis lead. Nick set down his book for a moment to listen, enjoying how much fun Ellis was having with the song. It was one Nick knew fairly well… He had used the chorus enough times to make it through the tougher nights of gambling.

"Things go from bad to worse

You think it can't get worse than that

And then they do." Rochelle took the lead, thinking the song fit their situation all too well…

Nick continued his book, enjoying himself just a little. It wasn't as good as the radio and it wasn't really Nick's kind of music, but it was better than the eerie silence and the moans of zombies that accompanied this new world.

It was a fairly uneventful day… The small group had made it to the next safe house with very little trouble. As happy as that made 3 of the survivors, Ellis was just a little put out at the lack of challenge.

"Jus' no fun not killin' 'em." Ellis would say whenever Coach or Rochelle told him to keep driving instead of stopping and shooting down all zombies in sight.

"You could let one of us drive and be the gun man…" Nick suggested once or twice. Ellis refused however, saying 'There ain't nobody round here tha' knows 'er like I do.' At that point Nick would shrug and continue reading his book, thoroughly entertained by it all.

Having reached a safe point everyone piled out, heading into the building stealthily… hoping to attract as little attention as was possible. Ellis was soon out of sight as he took off through the small, suburban house… checking all nooks and crannies for anything remotely zombie. After returning with nothing but a zombie movie and a zombie action figure the other three declared the house clear, shutting and locking the door behind them.

"I found 'bout 3 beds in here I think." Ellis said as they searched the house a second time together.

"Well Ellis, up for sharing a bed with me or did you want to try for a bed all your own?" Nick asked as they found the kitchen. Nick and Coach sat down at a table while Rochelle searched the fridge and Ellis searched the pantry.

Ellis pretended like he hadn't heard Nick… how was he supposed to answer that anyway? He focused on trying to find something edible while he felt Nick's eyes bore into his back…

"How about Alphabet Soup?" Ellis suggested, pulling out a few cans of the childish food. He grinned, setting the cans on the counter as his three friends nodded their approval. Ellis opened the cans while Rochelle set to finding a pot to heat it up in and got the stove burning. So far the group hadn't run into any problems with finding stoves and what not… if one wouldn't light because of an electrical outage Nick would lend his lighter allowing Rochelle to carefully light a burner to use.

After completing his task, Ellis sat in between Coach and Nick. The three sat in silence while Rochelle cooked… the only sound coming from the heating soup and the clinking of the spoon as Rochelle made sure nothing stuck to the sides of the pot.

More than once Ellis caught Nick watching him with an expression he couldn't decipher. He noticed Nick was quick to look away when he realized Ellis had spotted him. It became very much like a game to Ellis because whenever he looked away he could fell Nick's eyes on him, but whenever he looked at Nick the conman had a bored expression and seemed to be staring off into space.

Ellis was getting ready to say something when a steaming bowl of Alphabet soup was placed in front of him.

"Sorry Ro', I meant ta help ya get down bowls an' stuff." Ellis apologized.

"Don't worry about it honey. At least you help me every now and then. That's more than we can say about these two bumps on the log." Rochelle said, lightly bopping Nick and Coach upside the head.

"A bump on the log would have been killed by the zombie horde that I took down." Nick pointed out. At the same time Coach said "A bump on the log wouldn't have been able to beat Ellis in an arm wrestling contest."

Rochelle rolled her eyes in amusement. They may have been blockheads, but they were her blockheads. She looked them over… Coach, the fearless but always hungry leader; Nick, the cynical but ever inspiring Gambler; and Ellis, the ever clueless but beyond brave country boy. How much better could one girl have it under the circumstances?

"So Ellis, you never did answer my question…" Nick mentioned. He tried to hide his smirk as Ellis hid what he had been spelling with his alphabet letters… but not before Nick had spotted N-I-C…. Ellis coughed, stirring his soup a bit before answering.

"Well I'm sposin' tha' Ro' an' Coach want their own beds… an' I don' really mind sharin' with you so… sure?" Ellis said, idly staring down at his soup. Coach stood up, filling his bowl with thirds while Nick finished seconds.

"That's awfully sweet of you Ellis." Rochelle smiled at him.

Ellis wolfed the rest of his soup down, trying to hide his blush.

"Hey Overalls, slow down a bit before you choke." Nick said, giving Ellis a well-aimed pat on the back… in fact making said 'Overalls' sputter a bit.

"Gee, thanks Nick." Ellis rolled his eyes, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked down into his bowl and almost laughed out loud at the letters left…. They may not have been in the right order but he could finally finish spelling what he had been attempting to earlier… before he noticed Nick looking. That elusive K had finally come out of hiding.

"Anytime." Nick fought a snicker at Ellis' expression. It was one of those moments he really wished he had a camera.

"Well y'all," Coach said, standing up and stretching, "I think I'm gonna go hit the hay. G'night."

Ellis emptied his bowl, handing it over to Rochelle who was cleaning up the dishes yet again.

"You know, I shoot too. I think you guys should help me clean-up…" Rochelle mentioned casually.

"G'night babe." Nick said, hastily making a retreat. Ellis rolled his eyes again.

"I'll help ya." Ellis said, grabbing a towel and drying the dishes Rochelle handed him. He figured it would be fine leaving the dishes on the counter however… considering who would use this place to hide out in again? He supposed someone might… eventually… but then they'd be able to find the dishes easier.

"You know Ellis, I think I'm going to have to find a way to make those two help out a little."

"I'm with ya there Ro'."

"Any ideas?"

"Not a one."

"It's ok honey, I'll figure something out."

"Alright Ro'. Well I'mma head to bed. G'night." Ellis headed to the room with the only bed big enough to fit two people. Ellis jumped onto the bed, making Nick lose his place as the energetic mechanic bounced around for a moment.

"Did you see if there were any showers in this place?" Nick asked, annoyed at being interrupted.

"Nope. Wasn' really payin' 'ttention to that kinda stuff." Ellis shrugged. Nick glared at Ellis a moment before sighing.

"You really are worthless sometimes, Kid."

"Ya never say tha' when I'm savin' your ass." Ellis grinned boyishly.

"You? Save my ass? I think you're confused Sport."

"Confused how?" Ellis was confused now.

"I think I'm the one saving your ass more often."

"Yeah… Right." Ellis snorted. "Like you'd ever risk yer neck for me."

Nick was a little thrown off… of course he would. Why wouldn't he?

"Why do you say that?"

"Cuz even though Ro' an' Coach aren't all the way right, they _are_ right when they say tha' yer first ta you an' the rest uv us are lucky to come second or third." Ellis shrugged like it was simple fact.

"Is that what they say about me?" Nick mused thoughtfully.

"Ayep." Ellis looked very sure of himself.

"Well then, we'll just have to keep this between you and me." Nick lowered his voice, perking Ellis' interest. He looked at Nick, curiosity evident in his eyes.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, ok?" Nick said, poking Ellis. "Rochelle and Coach are cool and all, and I'm not going to let them die… but I'm going to fight for you ok? Don't listen to Rochelle and Coach."

Ellis was looking at Nick with wide eyes. Nick had no idea what had come over him but he could see that it had put Ellis' mind at ease… well at least where he was concerned.

"Thanks Nick." The grin on Ellis' face had Nick grinning as well…

"For what?" Nick asked, trying to give Ellis the hint that what he had said was seriously on the down low.

"What for? For… aw shit, never mind man." It took a minute but Ellis was able to catch on. What was up with this guy and mind games? Sometimes Ellis wondered if Nick was playing him.. He was a gambler and a conman after all right? But… somehow…. Ellis doubted that. For some reason it seemed like Nick really cared for him.

Ellis leaned back into the bed, pulling his book out of his pocket. Sometimes decent sized books and huge pockets came in handy.

It wasn't lost on Nick that Ellis still had the book Nick had found for him… Nick pulled out his own book, deciding that all that needed saying had been said.. at least for that night. He glanced over at the silly Country Boy, already lost in his own little world. What was this kid doing to him? At this point… he wondered if he even wanted it to stop.

Nick let his buzzing thoughts rest with the morbid mind of Edgar Allan Poe. In the end, at least he can find solace in the book.


	7. A Permanent Goodbye

So I had a lot of fun writing this. I owe a big thanks to those of you who have taken the time to say something about my stories I just want to say thanks for giving me the motivation to write… before I was writing this you know, just for fun. But now I have a real reason to keep it going and I appreciate that. Next chapter may be a little slow and it may be really fast… not quite sure just yet. Well I hope you enjoy Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"GODDAMNIT! How the Hell did this happen?!" Nick shouted as the survivors raced down the street with a Tank hot on their heels. Nick could remember the morning starting out just fine… so how the hell had they gotten into this mess?

Nick had woken up to a fairly good morning… good breakfast… packed everything into the stupid tiny stock car and they were on their way… show tunes blasting. So what? How? WHY?

"Jus' shuddup Nick, lemme focus." Ellis' voice was strained as he swerved around parked and crashed cars, the Tank tearing things up behind them as it tried to catch up. Ellis felt himself duck as the Tank slammed into a car and sent it flying.

Rochelle had her head out the window, shooting at the tank as the Jimmy Gibbs car swerved around corners and obstacles. She ducked as a zombie tumbled over the front of the car before continuing her assault of bullets on the Tank.

"God Damn Jimmy Gibbs, can't this car move any faster?!" Nick demanded as the Tank gained ground.

"Don' you Dare use Jimmy Gibbs name in vain!" Ellis shouted, not quite turning enough and slamming into a random car's bumper.

"Shut the Hell Up Nick, don't distract Ellis!" Rochelle chastised.

"Does anyone have a Molotov?!" Coach intervened, checking his own pockets.

"Here!" Ellis reached into his pocket, one hand directing the car. He tugged a Molotov out, tossing it to Coach before putting his full focus on the road ahead again.

"Rochelle!" Coach said, lighting the Molotov and handing it to her. She threw it, hitting the Tank on the shoulder. It burst into flames but she didn't stop there, grabbing up Ellis' grenade launcher and shooting as fast as she could reload and fire.

The Tank, like all Tanks, didn't seem to slow at all (ok, maybe it slowed a little… but it still seemed to be gaining ground; more pissed than ever).

"God, it's like the Tank from Hell." Nick muttered darkly, trying not to be slammed around too much as Ellis veered sharply to the left, then to the right. He felt his stitches pull which just made him feel that much better.

"Aren't all Tanks like this?" Coach asked… he felt useless at the moment. He wished there was another window for him to shoot as well. Considering the one window, though Rochelle was the best shot. She was always able to make the most out of the ammo she had and most of the grenades had hit their mark, even with the crazy driving.

"Sure but this one seems especially fucked up." Nick growled, turning around the back to see what could easily be his and the rest of his teammates doom. What a way to end.. in a car trying to outrace a devil of diseased human flesh.

Ellis hit the gas as he slid around a corner.. the truth was the car could go a lot faster, but even with his mad gaming skills for experience he wasn't skilled enough to go maximum speed _and_ still miss any obstacles that would blow the stock car up. If he could find any open ground there'd be no way that the Tank could keep up, but it being the way it is… he couldn't drive as fast as he wanted and he wasn't even close to the car's max speed… he was barely reaching 40 miles per hour and that was when he wasn't drifting a corner.

The Tank stopped chasing them a moment to grab up a car and chuck it at them.

"ELLIS! INCOMING!" Rochelle screamed as the car hurtled through the air toward them.

"Shit!" Ellis said as he swerved to miss the car. The Tank was once again chasing after them, right on their tail.

"If only a brake check would work here… too bad it would get us all killed." Nick mused, resigned with his possible death.

"God Nick, will you just keep your mouth shut?" Coach complained, glaring at Nick.

"I'm sorry Coach, are you daydreaming about your last meal? Too bad you won't be having another huh? What a last meal though, bacon and Eggs… truly American right there." Nick taunted.

"If only we didn't need the extra gun." Coach grumbled under his breath.

"What was that Coach?" Nick challenged, smirk firmly in place. "Maybe your chocolate Helicopter will save you."

"Nick…" Coach said, moving to punch him. Rochelle reached back and grabbed his arm.

"Ignore him Coach. He's a dumbass, and you know it. So quit listening to him." She leaned back out the window, trying to figure the best place for the last grenade. They had slowed the Tank down a bit… she figured if she could just find that right place now the Tank would go down. She took aim as the car bounced around, running over zombies and other rubbish in the road.

"Oh Ouch, mean names." Nick snickered. He would have gone on but he caught Ellis glaring at him, so he shrugged and settled back… deciding if he was going to die, might as well enjoy the ride.

There was a huge explosion as the last grenade blew up, taking the Tank's leg with it.

"YES!" Rochelle cried as Ellis brought the car to a stop. Too bad too, he had just reached road that had no more car obstacles, only milling zombies.

The survivors watched the flames finally engulf the tank.

"Why couldn't that have happened Earlier?" Nick shook his head…. Fate really hated them.

"WHOOT!" Ellis said, slamming a fist onto the wheel. "That sure was hella fun! Who wants to go agin?"

"Ellis…." The other three groaned. There was a bellow in the distance.

"Aw Shit! I wasn't serious!" Ellis said as a Charger came into sight. It took it less than a minute to spot the cause of the commotion. It charged.

Tires squealed as Ellis hit the gas, plowing through other zombies to escape the larger one chasing them.

"God Damn You Overalls!" Nick said, grudgingly handing Rochelle his gun. Chargers may not have been as hard to kill, but they were a hell of a lot faster.

Ellis held his foot to the floor, speeding down the straightaway. Didn't matter with the charger though, as it quickly gained ground. It was weird watching the Charger follow them… usually you didn't see them run because one minute there would be nothing there, and the next you're being thrown into a wall.

They all saw it coming when the Charger slammed into the rear end of the car, sending it spinning in circles. Because of their speed, the car lost it's traction on the road and was soon rolling as the Charger tried to slam into them again. It had more trouble as the car spun and flipped down the road. Reaching a stop, the car ironically landed on its wheels. Nick looked around, holding his head. He felt warm, stickiness as blood flowed out of a gash over his eye. Ellis was out cold, bruises and cuts lined his face and arms. He was slumped over the steering wheel and Nick's heart gave a lurch… he really hoped he wasn't wrong in his assumption that the kid was just knocked out… and not dead.

Nick surveyed the other two. Rochelle was lying crushed beneath Coach's weight. Pulling the lummox off of her, he found her still alive. Her eye lids fluttered a few times before stilling… Coach had a trickle of blood running from his lips and was breathing shallowly; the only sign he was still alive.

Another bellow reminded Nick they weren't alone… as well as a hand reaching through the window.

"Dammit!" Nick said, blinking blood out of his eyes and squeezing through so that he was behind the wheel. He turned the key, starting the car up again before hitting the gas. It had been a gamble that the car was still running but Nick did get lucky sometimes. The arm was severed as Nick put distance between the small crowd of zombies and himself.

Nick spotted the charger coming at them again and swerved to avoid it, glad that the car seemed pretty much still intact. At that moment he wondered how often Jimmy Gibbs had been known to crash… or if Ellis might have upgraded that.

Nick withdrew his hand gun, shooting over his shoulder while directing the car down the road. There was a bellow and a crash.

"No Fucking Way." Nick said, looking back. The charger lay in a pool of its own blood as Nick sped on. Hoping for a moment of calm and seeing that the 'regular' zombies were a good distance away Nick tapped the brakes. The car didn't slow.

"The Hell?" Nick muttered to himself as he put more pressure on the brakes.

"Oh Fucking Shit!" Nick ground out as he tried to slam on the brakes, getting no reaction from the car.

"Great, where the hell is the Emergency brake?" Nick looked around… at that moment he wished Ellis had at least shown them where that was. They should have planned for this kind of situation. And as if things couldn't get any worse, the road made a sharp curve to the Left and staying straight meant that they all would be taking a dip into the river running a little way from the road.

Nick had no clue on what to do in this situation. The car was moving too fast to make that corner… but at this point that's all he could do. So he did… and he rolled the car. It tumbled down the hill towards the river. Nick's head slammed into the ceiling. Darkness was welcomed as it consumed Nick's mind… his only regret was that he'd never be able to see Ellis' smile again.

.. .. .. … …

The sounds of sobbing filed the silence surrounding the wreckage. A door had been lost along the way, and a couple windows had smashed completely. A tire here… a tire there… a tire twisted beyond recognition… Ah who are we kidding.. The car was barely even recognizable as a car at this point.

Ellis opened his eyes, blinking a few times to focus.

"Nick?" Ellis sat up, trying to regain his bearings. Every movement brought a shock of pain but he couldn't care less… he had to know what had happened… what was going on?

"Nick? Ro'? Coach?" Ellis became a little more frantic. He noticed an arm… severed… and felt panic and terror seep into his system. Whose was it? Were they still alive? What if all that were left of Nick and Ro and Coach were pieces… What if zombies came through and tore them to pieces? Scattered, jumbled thoughts ran through Ellis' mind and he didn't have the time to recollect them. He had to find the others.

Stumbling to his feet he blinked again as images blurred and refocused. What had happened? He remembered… driving? Then what? Something bad obviously…. Why couldn't he remember? He reached up to rub his head but flinched as his fingers came into contact with a lump. Well that explains that, Ellis thought to himself.

"Nick?" Ellis made his way to the severed arm…. He breathed a sigh of relief noticing that the arm bared no resemblance to his teammates… His teammates? Where were they?

Ellis tripped. Trying to catching him-self he grabbed onto what was left of a door, a shard of glass cutting into his hand. Crying out he fell the rest of the way to the ground, clutching his hand.

"Ellis?" A familiar voice asked…. Light and friendly. It called to him, called for his thoughts to reorganize. He knew the voice… but… why was he not able to place it?

"I'm here…" Ellis croaked, fighting to sit up again. His muscles wouldn't cooperate. Ellis gave up, shutting his eyes and taking a moment to try and recollect his energy. He breathed in the scent of the Earth, trying to calm down.

"Ellis, honey." Warm hands grabbed Ellis' shoulders and pulled him up. Ellis was disoriented as the cool of the ground was taken away.

"Come on Young'un, you have got to pull through!" A deep voice called to him… he had to open his eyes… Two very familiar figures came into focus and parts of his thoughts reconnected.

"Ro. Coach." Ellis smiled, then winced feeling skin pull and tear. Warmth spilled down cracks in his skin but he knew that it could be quite a bit worse. He was still alive… and so were Ro and Coach.

"We're here for you sweetheart." Rochelle said softly. She didn't look like she was doing too well either. One of her eyes were swollen shut and she had a cut across her cheek, not to mention the damage on her arms… and that's just what Ellis could see. Coach had a lot of gashes as well, still seeping a steady flow of fresh blood….Coach seemed to be the best out of the three as far as injuries go… Wasn't someone missing though? Someone… important?

"Nick?"

Rochelle wouldn't meet Ellis' eyes.

"We haven't found him yet…"

Those words lit some sort of spark deep within Ellis and he was on his feet in an instant. He wobbled for a moment from the sudden rush but ignored it, scanning the area for a white suit… blue shirt…. A cynical smirk… anything pertaining to Nick. More thoughts reconnected and he remembered the Tank… and then the Charger.

"Nick?!" One face… one face alone plagued his mind. He searched reality for that face… running at the glimpse of a torn piece of white fabric waving in the wind.

"NICK!" Ellis flung himself into the awakening conman's arms, ignoring the screams of pain his body gave him. Nick had landed not too far from the wreckage, coming to rest with one arm in the river. A horrible gash bled over Nick's left eye and he had a serious cut on his thigh but he was alive.

"You know, one of these near death experiences is really going to kill me." Nick said, sitting up. Rochelle came over, supporting a limping Coach. On a regular day, Ellis would have cut the hug short with their arrival but he stayed in Nick's arms a few moments longer. Something about it just felt so right. Nick patted his back awkwardly before he pulled away.

"Sorry about your car, Kid." Nick said as he surveyed what was left of Jimmy Gibbs.

"Oh God! Jimmy Gibbs jr!" Ellis would have fallen to his knees if he hadn't already been on his knees. Nick patted his arm, giving him a pitying glance.

"Looks like we're back to walking." Coach observed.

"The car did save us in the end, holding together as long as it did." Rochelle patted the nearest piece of the car fondly.

"Yeah…. She did good." Ellis said, teary eyed. He couldn't help it… his car…

"Thanks for all you did for us, Jimmy Gibbs." Rochelle said to the car.

"Yeah, Thanks." Coach nodded, obviously still finding the whole 'car is part of the team' ridiculous.

"I will never forget you." Ellis said as he touched what was left of his beloved car.

"For God's sakes, it was just a car." Nick mumbled.

"Not just a car Nick." Ellis said softly. "I love this car. It was Jimmy Gibbs'… and I would bear that man's children if it were biologically possible… that and if he wasn't a dead zombie."

"That is wrong on several levels, Kid." Nick said. Coach and Rochelle were doing their best not to comment.

"Good bye Jimmy Gibbs." Ellis whispered, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I love you, you are the most beautiful car I ever drove... and you will live on in my heart."

Rochelle, Coach, and Ellis bowed their heads. Rochelle and Coach did it more for Ellis' benefit… They held a moment of silence for the end of the Jimmy Gibbs car.

"We are all awfully calm considering we've been in a car accident and almost died." Nick said sardonically. Usually people would still be in a panic… but then again maybe they were all in shock and would start screaming in a moment.

"We almost die every day. You get used to it after a while." Coach said, snapping out of the tranquility of the moment.

"Until one of us end up dying, at least." Nick added. At the same time Rochelle argued the point.

"That's not true, you never get used to that… I want to know how any of us are even still alive…"

"Well seems like we got Lady Luck an' God on our side." Ellis shrugged, then winced. He knew there was no bringing the car back and he had accepted that. Like he said, he would never forget her.

"Any salvageable med-kits?" Nick asked. He didn't like Ellis in pain and just glancing at the kid hurt him.

"Yeah." Coach said, showing Nick the solitary survivor of the med-kits.

"Is there enough in there for all of us?"

"Only if we take care of our worst injuries, and that's all."

"Well let's get to it." The four split their resources evenly and each saw to their own worst wounds.

"How're yer stiches, Nick?"

"Still intact. Looks like you did a pretty good job, Ace."

Ellis grinned at the compliment, before wincing again. As beat up as everyone was, and he knew it was self-centered of him to think, but he felt like he got the worst end of the stick all the way around. Then again, not knowing the other's pain, it was natural to jump to that conclusion right? And he just felt like total shit.

"Overalls." Nick nudged Ellis, placing something into his good hand.

"Tylenol? Where'd you get that?" Ellis asked, very thankful for Nick at the moment.

"Been saving it." Nick shrugged. "You had better be grateful, Kid."

"Thanks Nick!"

"SHHH! I don't want the others thinking I'm getting soft." Nick growled. Ellis swallowed the pills conspicuously before smiling at Nick.

"What are you two whispering about?" Rochelle teased them.

"You sure they were whisperin'? Looks like they're close enough to be thinking about kissin'." Coach joked. He wasn't really a believer of homosexuality but… people have preferences and he also knew that no matter what he said Ellis and Nick weren't going to listen.

Ellis glanced at how close he was to Nick and jumped back in shock. Coach may have been joking but he wasn't kidding about how close he had been to Nick. Nick just watched him calmly, a half smile on his lips.

"You going to be ok, Kid?" Ellis watched Nick's lips move, seriously considering Coach's joke for a moment. They were just… so alluring. Warmth shot through his body at the idea and he leaned closer again… before he was able to smack himself out of it.

"'m Fine." Ellis mumbled, standing up.

"Oh really? That blush on your face says otherwise."

"Look, can we jus' find a place ta sleep?" Ellis pulled the bill of his hat low, refusing to meet anyone's eyes as his face flamed red.

"Whatever you say, Sport." Nick said, patting him on the back. "But wait a moment… your hand is pretty torn up." It hadn't been the first time Nick had noticed… he was having too much fun teasing Ellis at this point. Why stop now?

"What?" Ellis said, looking down at his hand. It was like seeing the wound brought about the pain and it suddenly seared with pain. He hoped the pills would take effect soon.

"Your hand." Nick said, taking it in his hands. He went over and grabbed the piece of fabric torn from his jacket. He gingerly poured the last of his own ration of cleaning solution into the wound before wrapping it gently.

"There, all better." Nick said, leaning down to brush his lips over the injury.

"Nick!" Ellis grabbed his hand away, cheeks flaming brighter. Feeling like everyone was giving him a hard time he turned on his heel. He didn't wait to see if they were following before he started heading towards town, smashing down any zombie to get in his way. It was lucky that the zombies hadn't reached them earlier; but they were definitely coming now. Ellis wondered if they could smell blood or 'possible death'. In the end, he really didn't care… they were great to take out revenge and anger on.

"You really know how to get to that boy." Coach observed before following Ellis. Rochelle and Nick jogged to catch up, Nick smirking the whole time. Sometimes it was just way too easy to mess with people…

Nick paused a moment. Had he really been messing with Ellis? He had been saving those pills for him-self… he had made sure not to use them, even when they would have really helped. Plus… the injury on Ellis' hand had really bothered him; especially the fact that the kid hadn't doctored it up. The last part had been when he had remembered, from one good memory in his own childhood, when his mother asked him if he'd like her to kiss the 'owie' and make it better… and he wanted to see Ellis' reaction. The blush that had settled darker on Ellis' face was good enough for Nick that he didn't mind if Ellis was ticked at him now… some things in this world were priceless beyond reason.

Ellis pulled out his frying pan, enjoying the little thought it took to crush a zombies head or knock one to the ground with a well-aimed swing. There was a little town in the distance but it was still a couple miles of walking before reaching it… and of course once again zombies stood between Ellis and another 'safe' night of sleep.

Rochelle, Coach, and Nick watched zombie after zombie drop to Ellis' wrath. The dumb, undead creatures just couldn't figure out that Ellis was invincible and not a meal for them. Well, one more zombie taken down by Ellis was one less zombie in the world to worry about.

"Are we there yet?" Nick asked, irritated with the amount of walking they had to do. Besides that was the fact that every step he took his leg leaked a little more blood. He had bandaged it up, so the flow was stemmed a little, but he could feel it sapping strength.

Ellis watched Nick start to lag behind and wondered what could be affecting the conman. Then he remembered the cut he had seen on Nick's leg. No longer feeling as angry as he had at Nick he pondered what he could do about it. Realizing his idea was pretty good revenge on Nick and would also show off how badass he was he went through with it without really thinking it through.

"'s lookin' like ya need a hand, Nick." Ellis said, slipping to the back of the 'pack' to talk to Nick.

"I'm Fine." Nick put emphasis into each word. He smacked a zombie with his bat, finishing it in one foul blow.

"Ya sure 'bout that?" Ellis asked, getting closer to Nick. Nick looked at Ellis wearily, before focusing on any incoming zombies again.

"Yes." The word held such conviction… but Ellis ignored it. He took out a zombie sprinting towards him, cutting into its throat with his axe.

"Then why're ya havin' trouble keepin' up?"

"Because you guys are just walking way too fast, that's all." Nick refused to meet Ellis' eyes. He knew that the kid was offering help, but he also knew the help would be more trouble than it was worth. Still though… a little help wouldn't really hurt, would it? Yes it would, it would hurt his pride.

"Well ya know Nick, if ya don' speed it up you'll be left behind."

"I'm aware Ellis." Nick said, feeling a twitch start near his eye. "I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself." Nick beat that steady truth into a zombie that just got too close to him.

"Oh really?" Ellis said softly… dangerously in Nick's opinion. "I don' think you can make it all the way there."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Nope! It'sa statement a fact." Ellis said proudly. He kicked a zombie in the face, feeling like a serious badass when he felt Nick watching him.

"So what do you propose about me being unable to make it all the way?"

"What?"

"How do we remedy the situation?"

"Ohhhh… well…." Ellis pretended to consider it for a moment. "Well… I could carry you…"

Nick felt his jaw drop. He shut it quickly, dodging an incoming zombie swipe and cleanly cutting its head off.

"What?"

"I could Carry you." Ellis said slowly, cutting down a zombie that had been headed in Nick's direction.

"I have two legs, thank you." Nick said, not believing what he was hearing. Besides the point that he would seem weak _and_ soft… he couldn't let Ellis carry him… Nick being that close to Ellis' body; he just didn't know if he'd be able to control himself.

"Well one of yer legs is injured an' prefers not ta carry you. Both my legs are fine, though. Ya sure you don' need help?"

"I'm Fine." Nick ground out angrily. As nice as it would be to be carried the rest of the way… he just couldn't allow it.

Ellis had figured Nick would say that much… but he also understood wounds (having dealt with his own and Keith's) and he knew that a wound like that, bandaged or not, would be giving out in three…. Two….

Nick couldn't help it, he fell to the ground. Pain spread from his knees where they hit the ground. Ellis was quick to save him from a zombie about to pounce.

"Ya still sure?" Ellis asked, offering Nick a hand. Nick stared at the hand as if it would snake out and bite him. Nick was ready to take his time considering it when he noticed how many zombies were around.

"Ok.. I may need a little help." Nick took the offered hand… knowing he would regret it but also knowing it would be best for his health. Ellis crouched down near Nick, pulling Nick onto his back.

Nick tried to ignore the feeling of Ellis' muscular back pressed so close to him.

"Ya got yer shotgun?" Ellis asked, not realizing how much revenge would be a double edged sword. Feeling Nick so close, and clinging to him… it did bad things for his body and concentration. Ellis made sure to get a strong grip on Nick's good leg, even though it meant using his torn hand.

It was a new experience, shooting from someone's back. For one, Nick had to fight the feelings his body was giving him because of his proximity to Ellis. Another thing was he wasn't used to shooting without his feet braced, or with another head in the way so he had to go a little to the side to see.

"Ellis, my gun is a little low on ammo." Nick warned. His breath tickled Ellis' ear and Ellis fought the urge to shiver… and lost.

"Alright Nick." Ellis said breathlessly. Ellis carefully placed the handle of the gun that he had been using into his mouth before fishing in his pocket for his other hand gun. Taking the safety off he handed it to Nick.

"Thanks." Nick said, smirking as he felt a shiver run down Ellis' spine. He swore a second later though, because the friction did nothing to help his staying in control. It was bad enough that his legs were wrapped around Ellis' hips and Ellis had one hand on his thigh…. And thinking about it really wasn't helping anything. Nick swallowed thickly, focusing on zombies to shoot.

Ellis tried to ignore the muscle he could feel beneath his fingers as he held Nick up. The only thing keeping him focused was the endless line of blank faces with blood and saliva dripping from their mouths. The gun that was going off near his head didn't hurt either.

Rochelle laughed to herself as she tried to keep the brunt of the attack off of Nick and Ellis. She wondered if they even knew or understood their own feelings for the other…. Because as time went on it was becoming plainer than day to herself and Coach.

The zombies thinned a little bit, allowing the 4 survivors to make decent progress. Unfortunately, it left Nick and Ellis more time to dwell on how comfortable yet uncomfortable their current position was. Both were extremely aware of the other's presence, the racing of the other's pulse and the sweat collecting on the other's skin.

"Hey Ellis, how much farther?" Nick asked, trying his best not to breathe on Ellis' ear… Ellis gave a slight tremble regardless.

"L-last time I checked, you had eyes too." Ellis was proud that he only had one stutter.

Nick sighed, not realizing what he was doing. Ellis' knees went weak and he came close to hitting the ground. Nick slid a little and Ellis had to work to get Nick back into a comfortable position on his back. Ellis' hand slid up Nick's leg, sending a shock of feeling through his system. Trying to block it out, Nick closed his eyes, resting his forehead in the crook between Ellis' shoulder and neck.

"Maybe it would be better if I walked." Nick suggested. Nick's breath sent warm tingles where it warmed Ellis' skin. Ellis blushed as he felt part of himself start to awaken. God, what would it be like if Nick were doing that to him on purpose? Ellis mentally slapped himself for that thought… what was he thinking? His thoughts were wandering down the path away from the Lord… what was this apocalypse doing to him? What was Nick doing to him… _mentally_ he added to his thought, considering he knew very well what Nick was doing to him physically.

"We're almos' there, don' get yer panties in a twist."

"Unless you know better than me, last time I checked I don't really wear panties."

"Oh God Nick, it's a figure of speech."

"You two fight like an old married couple." Coach added in to their conversation, not understanding at all how much worse that made everything.

"Does anybody else hear that strange sound?" Nick asked.

"Hunter!" Rochelle yelled suddenly, startling the other three survivors.

Ellis turned around just in time to be pounced on by the Hunter. Ellis, Nick, and the Hunter hit the ground fairly hard. The wind was knocked out of Nick as Ellis landed on him; the Hunter was already attempting to tear Ellis to pieces.

Nick was pinned beneath Ellis and the Hunter. Ellis was fighting to keep the claws from tearing him to pieces; blocking some of the Hunter's blows with his gun. Nick tried to un-wedge his arm from under Ellis, struggling to pull his gun out without accidently shooting Ellis.

"GET IT OFF ME!" Ellis finally shouted out. Where were Coach and Rochelle anyway? Ellis attempted to shove the Hunter off, allowing Nick to free his arm.

"Die." Nick said, aiming the gun at the Hunter's head and pulling the trigger. The Hunter slumped down, sliding sideways off of Ellis. Ellis collapsed back, landing rather heavily on Nick who 'Oomphed' in response. Nick watched Ellis catch his breath, dealing with his annoyance of Ellis' disregard for him.

"You doing ok, Kid?" Nick asked, idly noticing the fact that Ellis was lying between his legs, head resting on Nick's chest.

"'m Fine. I think." Ellis said softly. Nick shook his head in amusement, leaning forward a bit to see if there was any serious damage. Ellis was right; he had been able to fend off the worst but his gun was done and there were a few deep wounds cut into his arms.

"Do you think you can keep going?" Nick asked, looking around for Rochelle and Coach. He spotted them a ways off, fighting with a group of zombies. By the looks of things, they had run out of ammo or they were saving what they had left.

"Yeah, no problem." Ellis said, getting up. As soon as he was on his feet, he helped Nick to his feet.

"You still holding up ok, Kid?" Nick asked, noticing that Ellis had paled when he had gotten to his feet. Ellis shook his head, looking at Nick indignantly.

"'m Fine." Ellis insisted, "Come on, I can carry ya the rest a the way."

"I think I'll pass…" Nick said, limping in the direction of Rochelle, Coach, and safety.

"Nick…" Ellis warned. "The more ya walk on yer leg, the worse 's gonna be in the end." Ellis said, grabbing Nick's shoulder.

"But you're really in no position to continue carrying me. You're barely staying on your own feet." Nick argued, looking back at Ellis.

"Tha's not true."

"It is true, don't be such a dumbass. I can walk." Nick limped farther along with Ellis stumbling along behind him.

"Here." Nick grabbed Ellis' arm and slung it over his shoulder, helping support some of his weight. Looking down he noticed that the Hunter had gotten one good swipe across the kid's chest… thankfully it wasn't deep enough to let any organs spill out, but that's the end of Ellis' good luck.

"We're going to need to get you fixed up." Nick said as he hobbled along. Ellis didn't reply, just kept staggering along with Nick, trying to keep up.

"Just stay with me, Kid? Ok? Just stay awake." Nick was very aware of how much blood Ellis was losing. Damn Kid was going to get them both killed.

Nick almost fell as all of Ellis' weight crashed down. The only think keeping Ellis from face planting was Nick.

"Kid?" Nick said… fighting to keep the panic from his voice. "Kid?"

"Hmmm…?" Ellis mumbled groggily.

"Stay with me." Nick commanded.

"mmmmk Nck."

"God damn it." Nick mumbled, hefting more of Ellis' weight onto him. Ellis was dragged along as Nick shot down any zombies turning to them, giving up on Rochelle and Coach. The two seemed to be holding up well, except that they were using melee weapons which had allowed a couple of the zombies to get a swipe at them. With Nick's help, they cleared out the zombies nearest by. Nick shot down anything ambling towards them as they made a run (in Nick's case some sort of hobbling jog run) for the safe room door.

"Nick, toss me your gun and carry Ellis. Coach and I will cover you." Rochelle said. Without thinking it through Nick tossed his shot gun to Rochelle before picking Ellis up bridle style. He worked to catch up to Rochelle and Coach, having fallen behind with Ellis' dead weight.

"You still with me kid?" Nick panted, the strain from running and carrying Ellis starting to take a toll on his already injured body.

"mmmmm." Ellis mumbled, his head lolling onto Nick's chest. Nick would have found it cute except for the fact that a steady line of blood was trailing from Ellis' mouth.

"How are you going to tell Keith about your adventures if you die, Kid?" Nick said, trying to keep Ellis talking.

"'m nt g'nna die."

"Good, because I sure as hell won't allow it." Nick said. Ellis nodded slightly before letting his head rest against Nick again.

"Come on Come on Come on!" Coach shouted at Nick. Nick pushed what little energy he had left, making it through the door just in time for Coach to slam it shut on a couple zombies. Nick's knees crumbled and he fell to the floor, making sure not to drop or land on Ellis.

"Rochelle! Med-Kit!" Nick shouted. Ellis was still nestled in his arms, eye lids fluttering.

"Look Ellis, you're not allowed to die. So stay with me." Nick demanded, glaring down at the kid. Ellis forced his eyes open and looked up at Nick.

"N-not goin nywhere Nck." Ellis tried to reassure. His tongue felt like cotton. Pain wracked his body and sleep promised to take all the pain away… the darkness that crept in promised no pain ever again. Why did he need to stay awake again?

Nick watched Ellis' eyes focus and un-focus. Rochelle came running in, arms full of med-kits. Nick tugged Ellis' blood soaked shirt off and Rochelle got to work on mending the damage while Nick held him up.

Coach brought in a few glasses of water. Rochelle ignored hers, cleaning Ellis' wounds quickly and efficiently. Nick downed his own before trying to get Ellis to drink some water as well. Ellis' eyes kept flickering open and closed as he fought to stay awake.

"You still here Overalls?"

"'m here." Ellis said quietly. Rochelle finished wrapping the last bandage, tying it off.

"Let's get him onto a bed." Rochelle said, offering her help in picking Ellis up. Nick shook his head slightly and Rochelle backed off. He picked Ellis up again, staggering towards the nearest bed and set Ellis onto it before collapsing beside him.

"You should be ok now, Kid." Nick said softly, taking Ellis' hat off and lying it on a nightstand nearby.

"thnks Nck."

"Nick… you want me to bandage you up?" Rochelle asked, coming in with a med-kit in hand.

Nick would have answered but in a couple moments he was out like a light. His fatigue finally won over and he was lost in a deep sleep.

.. .. .. ..

"Ha, I told you suckers that you just can't beat me at Monopoly!" Nick said as he won his third game in a row.

"That's a real talent." Coach muttered, bored out of his mind.

"Can we play 'Game a Life' now?" Ellis asked, wanting to play a game that didn't make his head hurt so much. The team had discovered a decent stash of food so they had figured the best plan of action was recuperating from the attack and the accident. They had searched the house for activities to keep them busy and the best they could come up with were a couple board games and a standard deck of cards.

"Sounds good to me." Rochelle was getting sick of losing to Nick over and over again.

"You guys sure you don't want to try again?" Nick taunted, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"No thanks, I'm pretty sure you were cheating in there somewhere, Nick." Coach said as they put Monopoly away and Ellis grabbed 'The Game of Life'.

"It's funny how a Monopoly game will usually tend to last for a really long time… but when you're playing against Nick you're out of money before you can even blink." Rochelle observed darkly.

"Nick, you'da made one hell uva business owner… you'da prolly made CEO." Ellis said as he finished setting up the board game and grabbed his favorite car.

"Well thanks, Kid." Nick was a little shocked by Ellis' observance.

"You have a good point Ellis, but I bet Nick would make a better Lawyer." Coach said as the game begun. Ellis and Rochelle decided they'd go to College while Coach and Nick jumped right to career.

"The Irony." Nick said as he had the choice of CEO, Salesperson, or Lawyer as his career choices. He chose CEO.

"So how much are ya gonna make?" Ellis watched Nick closely…

"Ouch." Rochelle said as Nick showed his choices of making 10 thousand, 20 thousand, or 30 thousand.

"Maybe yer a CEO of a real small business." Ellis joked. Nick rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I get to be an athlete!" Coach cheered as he got his career pick. "And I'll be makin' 60 thousand a year. Not too shabby."

"Are you serious?" Rochelle complained as she landed on a 'Pay for Books' space. "This is not a good start."

"Awesome!" Ellis cheered as he made it onto the Dean's List.

It wasn't too long before Rochelle and Ellis were getting to pick their careers as well. Rochelle had made it first and she chose to be a Sales Person, deciding that being a Rock Star or Doctor just wasn't in her future. Her salary became 80 thousand.

Ellis was practically bouncing off his seat as he got to pick his job. "Hmmmm… Doctor, Travel Agent… or MECHANIC! Hell yeah, I know what I wanna be!" Ellis said.

"Alright Sport, Alright. So how much are you going to make?" Nick asked, expecting Ellis to get stuck with around a 40 thousand pay.

"No Way!" Ellis jumped out of his chair and cheered as he chose 100 thousand for his salary. Nick felt his jaw hit the table as Rochelle and Coach congratulated Ellis. Ellis did a little happy dance before sitting back down… and at this point, Nick couldn't complain too much. There was just something alluring about the Kid when he was in high spirits…

The game continued as usual… good events and bad events happening to everyone. Coach was the first to get Married; he had kept a steady lead throughout the game. Rochelle got married second, seemingly staying right on Coach's bumper throughout the game so far. Ellis got married next, leaping for joy. He told everyone, with absolutely no uncertainty, that his wife-passenger was Zoey. That set everyone off laughing except Nick who felt his mood sink a little at the thought. He had figured the hick had gotten over Zoey…

Nick was last to get married, in which everyone poked fun at him about the Witch Wedding. Nick ignored them as the game went on and he kept getting worse luck. On the other hand though, he had collected several life tiles along the way; more than anyone else so far.

It reached the time for everyone to spin for houses. So far, with his high salary, Ellis had been in the lead with money and he bragged about it every chance he got. Coach was still in the lead and ended up with a mansion that he had to pay 70 thousand for. Rochelle was next, with a fairly simple house that she had to pay 50 thousand for. Nick had caught up to third, putting Ellis at last, and got the Split Level house, paying 50 thousand for that.

"Wha's a split level house anyway?" Ellis asked as he spun, landing on a payday.

"It's just a game, Ellis." Nick told him shortly.

"But-"

"Just. A. Game." Nick cut him off. His temper fuse seemed to be as short as it could go without blowing.

"K Nick." Ellis said, feeling down. That went away as soon as he got a farmhouse that he had to pay 40 thousand for.

"Luck is on your side, Boy." Coach said, clapping Ellis on the shoulder.

Nick groaned inwardly as he landed on 'Car broke down' and he had to pay Ellis to fix it. "Fucking expensive." He growled as he handed Ellis 5 thousand to fix his car.

"Look guys! We're almos' at the end!" Ellis said, pointing to the point where they retire.

"Still have to see if any of us get kids." Coach pointed out, chortling.

"Oh.. yeah… well I want tons a kids! So I hope I get a bunch!" Ellis said, looking excitedly at the 'baby boy', 'baby girl', and 'twins' tiles.

"You're confused sport, you really are." Nick said softly as they continued on.

"An' why's that?" Ellis asked.

"Kids are not a good thing." He said, shrugging. "I've never had any and I don't want any."

It sent Rochelle, Coach, and Ellis into a round of giggles when, in second place, Nick landed on Twins. He face-palmed, but gladly collected two life tiles. Coach made it through with a Baby Girl, Rochelle had two Baby Boys. Ellis was bummed when he made it through with no kids at all.

"I don' see any more 'kid' tiles." Ellis pouted. Just as Ellis had none, Nick seemed to hit every kid tile there was. He ended up with Twin Boys, a Baby Boy, and two Baby Girls.

"How do they all fit in my car?" Nick wondered with no amusement. Ellis was pouting too much to try and explain it.

"Here Ellis, you can have one of mine… and it's life tile." Nick offered. Ellis looked at him in surprise.

"What?" Nick asked. "People can adopt. I don't want kids, you do. Here."

"Nick, that's cheating." Rochelle teased but Coach and Rochelle didn't mind. They thought it was more or less cute.

Ellis took the offered 'gift' and began blushing. Nick looked at him, slightly confused on what had brought the blush about. He quit paying attention when he found out he had to send his kids to private school and pay 5 thousand for each of them.

"Damn it." Nick said as he doled out 20 thousand. It helped bring his spirits up a little when Ellis was able to have landed on 'Baby Boy' tile. Everyone patted Ellis on the back for that.

The game continued with more rotten luck for Nick, but also obtaining several life tiles along the way.

"Switch Salaries with any player." Nick laughed to himself as he eyed Ellis' pay check number.

"Alright Ellis, hand it over." Nick said, taking the 100 thousand and giving Ellis his 30 thousand. Ellis shrugged, he was happy with the amount he had made along the way. He didn't mind giving it up.

"Looks like your luck is looking up." Rochelle pointed out.. until Nick landed on a 'Midlife Crisis' and had to choose a new career and salary. Nick's expression was priceless.

"What the Hell?!" Nick said, deciding that Rock Star, Artist, and Travel Agent were all equally horrible jobs and beyond disappointed in losing his 100 thousand salary.

"You should be an artist, Nick." Ellis suggested. "Bet you'd make lotsa money!"

"Ok, Kid." Nick said, not caring anymore. He looked at his choices for salary slowly… 20 thousand… ouch…. 40 thousand… there is no way he was going to win this game now…. 90 thousand… now _that's_ what Nick was talking about.

"Toldja." Ellis said, patting Nick on the back. The game progressed fairly well. Coach kept getting stuck on 'vacation' spots.

"Shoulda been a Travel Agent." Nick mused. Ellis just shrugged, smiling.

"Grandchildren!" Coach said, laughing.

"We're almost there!" Ellis laughed as well.

Rochelle, Coach, and Ellis ended up with Grandchildren and hit retirement. Somewhere along the lines Nick had fallen behind. By the time he had reached Retirement his friends had been there for at least three turns.

"What, no grandkids Nick?"

"No Coach. Just kids are bad enough."

"Your loss." Coach shrugged.

"You're saying that like he missed the tile on purpose." Rochelle pointed out.

"Time to cash up those Life Tiles." Nick said, counting up his total; he had been done with the grandchildren discussion before it had even started.

In the end Ellis had the highest in just money. He beat Rochelle and Coach, even with their life tiles.

"Nick, there's no way you're going to beat me." Ellis gloated.

"I dunno Kid… I have several Life tiles." Nick pointed out.

"Mhmmmm…" Ellis said, thinking he had it in the bag. It turned out that Ellis beat Nick by one life tile. One life tile… Nick thought to himself. Dammit, he had given Ellis a Life Tile when he had given Ellis the 'kid'! He decided not to mention it, seeing the absolute joy on Ellis' face for winning.

"Good job Kid." Nick said, patting Ellis on the back.

"Yeah, way to go Ellis!" Rochelle and Coach congratulated.

"Now what?" Ellis asked.

"I saw some other board games in the corner, unless you want to play this game again?" Rochelle suggested.

"Naw, this game is like only fun once." Ellis shrugged.

"Well we could always play Strip Poker…" Nick suggested, a sinister smile in place as he eyed Ellis.

"Nick…" The other three groaned.

"No one wants to see Coach in his bloomers." Rochelle laughed.

Coach pretended to look offended before laughing. "She's right."

Nick shrugged, grinning. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Yeah we can." Ellis said, putting Nick in a headlock. He considered giving the conman a noogie but figured… Nick would probably shoot him in the ass on purpose if he did that.

Nick was confounded to find himself in a position of weakness but went with it, figuring Ellis was enjoying himself. He stayed still until Ellis released him… then punched Ellis in the arm. It knocked Ellis off balance to say the least.

"Ya wanna go?" Ellis joked, getting into a fighting stance.

"You'd lose." Nick said, calmly walking from the room… Nick figured that was his best answer, although he didn't really know why he walked out. It was a good plan until he found he didn't know where to go from there. Ellis answered his unasked question by chasing after him.

"I fig'red you didn' wanna play any more games so I grabbed this for ya." Ellis said, handing Nick his Edgar Allan Poe book. Nick looked at it in shock.

"Overalls…" He said softly, looking down at the book. It had a slash on the cover that Nick guessed was from the accident.

"I jus' thought you'd wanna have it still…" Ellis shrugged, a sincere smile on his face.

"Thanks Kid." Nick knocked Ellis' hat off and ruffled his hair. Ellis ducked away, laughing. He grabbed up his hat before waving to Nick. Nick just shook his head in amusement as Ellis joined Coach and Rochelle in a game of Uno… where they got the batteries for the machine he didn't know and frankly he didn't really care as he sat down to reread "The Cask of Amontillado" (he wanted to understand the tale completely before moving on to the next one).

What's the point of living if you can't enjoy the little things? Sometimes you just have to take a step back and take time to enjoy life. Nick was glad, if slightly annoyed, that in the end of the World he at least got stuck with 3 decent people… especially Ellis. He couldn't really imagine a life without the hick now… he just hoped it would stay that way.


	8. Dark Carnival

So here's Chapter 8… I don't have much to say about it. It was kind of; well it was fun to write but there were also a lot of writer's blocks so I'm kinda just glad to have it out and finished. I can't wait to get started on 9 though I have some real plans for the next chapter…

Chapter 8

"Ok, remind me why we have to go through there again?" Nick asked, eyeing the Carnival suspiciously.

"Cuz, ya only live once an' ya ain't lived at all til you've been here!" Ellis explained.

"Ok, so every zombie movie says carnivals are bad… could someone with sense explain why we're going into a carnival; at night no less… during a goddamned zombie apocalypse?" Nick was desperately trying to make sense of why Rochelle and Coach were going along with this.

"What could it hurt?" Coach shrugged, staring at the sight in front of him.

"It could hurt our chances of making it to the helicopters in time or _alive_." Nick growled.

"Well Nick, considering we'd have to go back several miles to make it around the blockade or go straight through here and not lose any progress…" Rochelle left the sentence to hang in the air.

"An' it'll be fun…" Ellis said, trying to make it sound tempting. He really wanted to go through Whispering Oaks… he hadn't been there in forever.

"Man, I went here in my childhood." Coach said wistfully.

"That's great Coach. Now we can all die here." Nick said, not at all amused at having to go into the 'amusement park'. "And you guys are sure you want to go right now? I mean… the sky is kind of getting dark _really _fast."

"Like you said Nick, we're on a possible time limit. We might as well get going now… we can handle zombies in the day; we'll be able to handle them at night too." Rochelle flashed her flashlight over the entrance.

"Come on guys… le's go!" Ellis impatiently moved from one foot to the other.

"Well I told you guys we would die.. time to face up to it." Nick shrugged. Ellis took that as the ok and took off running.

"I will never understand that boy." Coach shook his head, following at a more leisurely pace.

"Come on Nick, let's make sure Ellis doesn't get himself killed." Rochelle followed after Coach, gun at the ready.

Nick kept a wary eye out for anything with a ravenous appetite. An amusement park was definitely not the last place to find the undead… It was probably a normal day at Whispering Oaks when the disease hit… so even though there weren't any zombies in sight yet, didn't mean that it was going to stay that way.

"Oh man, oh man!" Ellis said in excitement. "Runnin' through Whisperin' Oaks at night with zombies 'round and No Lines! Is this a dream come true or what?"

"Or what…" Nick mumbled to himself.

"Guys? Can I go on one? Please? Jus' real fast?" Ellis begged, looking ahead at all the rides.

"Overalls… " There were so many ways for Nick to finish that… how stupid Ellis was being because the noise from any ride would attract a shit load of zombies… how Ellis' childishness sometimes overrode his common sense… how this wasn't even that great of an amusement park… But Nick stopped with Overalls, pinching the bridge of his nose to help prevent the oncoming headache.

Ellis pranced over to where Nick was, giant grin on his face.

"Nick!" Ellis said… but he either forgot what else he was going to say or decided it wasn't important enough to say now.

"You can be such a pain." Nick mumbled, watching the mechanic. He had to admit, it was kind of amusing to see Ellis so excited about something. At least some one could be.

"Yep, but ya love me anyways." Ellis said. The words made Nick pause a moment… Ellis didn't really mean anything by that… did he?

"Man, I wish there was a Burger Tank running somewhere. It'd be a nice relief to all this zombie shit." Coach's shoulders sagged a little.

"Don't worry Coach. If we make it through this you'll probably be able to own your own Burger Tank."

"And why do you say that Nick?"

"Well, considering that this zombie apocalypse has wiped out so many people… if the zombies ever get cleared out then there will many businesses that will need to get up and running again…. And that leaves Burger Tank open for you." Nick shrugged. He noticed a lone zombie wandering and lifted his pistol but Ellis had him beat to it, smashing it down with a bat.

"Man, sometimes I wanna beat these zombie's till there aren't any chunks big 'nough to beat." Ellis said, smashing the zombie's head for good measure.

"Does anyone else hear that squeaking sound?" Rochelle asked, looking around quizzically.

"No Fucking Way. It's a Fucking Zombie Clown!" Ellis crowed, pointing it out to them.

"And this would be why my cousin always feared Clowns." Rochelle said.

"Yeah, not a pretty sight." Nick said. The zombie clown noticed them and started its approach.

"Ya think they have any reasonin' at all?" Ellis mused as he raised his shot gun and aimed at the zombie.

"Doubt it." Nick said. He slung his gun comfortably over his shoulder, figuring Ellis had them covered…. when the pounding of many feet filled their ears.

"Oh Shit!" Coach shouted as glowing eyes came at them from every angle.

"It's the goddamned clown! The squeaking attracts others! Shoot it!" Nick shouted at Ellis. Ellis did as told, blowing the clown's head off.

"Guys, in here." Rochelle pointed to a booth. They all sprinted for it, ducking beneath the counter. An eerie kind of sound filled the air as footsteps seemed to come from anywhere… and then pause in confusion.

Nick found himself caught between Ellis and Rochelle, noticing that he wasn't the only one holding his breath. Nick's hand brushed Ellis' accidently, catching Ellis' attention. Nick's eyes met Ellis' and Ellis smiled, probably attempting to be reassuring. Nick rolled his eyes, smirking back. Nick was about to peek over the counter to see if there were any zombies when he felt a callused hand grab his. It kept him from looking over the counter and caught him by surprise.

Nick knew who's hand it was, his eyes meeting quizzically with Ellis'. Ellis nodded in Rochelle's direction and Nick noticed that Rochelle had found a hole in the wall that she was looking through. Nick understood then that he might have attracted unwanted attention and brought the horde down on them.

Nick shrugged, showing he hadn't noticed Rochelle. Ellis rolled his eyes this time, shaking his head in amusement. Nick tried to ignore the tingles that shot up his spine as Ellis kept ahold of his hand. How could such minimal skin contact do so much? It was moments like this where Nick would take a moment to daydream what it would be like to have Ellis in his bed… as if there might ever be a future between them.

Ellis watched Nick, glad he was able to get through to the conman before he had been noticed by any zombies. He thought it was kind of funny how they were attempting to hide from them… Apparently it had worked though, as Rochelle nodded to them and all four survivors peeked their heads over the booth's counter. The zombies had cleared out…

"Where'd they go?" Ellis asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't know." Nick was just as confused as Ellis. "But from now on, kill the clowns a.s.a.p. They attract hordes just like a witch's scream or boomer bile."

Ellis and the others nodded. It didn't escape Nick's attention that Ellis' hand was still locked in his, fingers laced together. He caught smirks from Rochelle and Coach and shook his head, figuring it wasn't worth his time to explain.

They crept over the booth stealthily; Nick's job was that much harder since he was still holding Ellis' hand. Nick wasn't sure which one of them was the one who wouldn't let go now.

They continued through the fair ground, trying to stay quiet and keep to the shadows. There wasn't any of them (well except Ellis) who wanted to take on a group that large. Those kind of groups always made the three sensible ones question if they would lose someone… or all of them… in the mass of zombies.

There really wasn't much said… a tense quiet filled the group.. until one over-enthused mechanic made them all jump.

"Holy Shit, Guys! It's KIDDIELAND!" Ellis burst out of nowhere, throwing his gun slingin' hand into the air in excitement.

When no zombies came running the group gave a sigh of relief.

"I swear, sometimes I wonder if we're babysitting." Coach said, slight amusement sparking in his eyes.

"Overalls is like a 5 year old with guns." Nick said before adding as an afterthought, "And a comprehensive knowledge of every cussword in the human language." Nick gave Ellis a playful shove with his shoulder.

"'s not true." Ellis mumbled, face reddening a little. "I don' know German. Or Spanish. Or Italian. Or Greek. Or Russian. Or-"

"In the _English_ language." Nick corrected himself. Ellis smiled, nodding.

"Come on guys, wha's the point a bein' here if we ain't gonna even ride one ride?" Ellis pouted…

"I wish I could be as excited as you Ellis… ah forget this, WOOHOO KIDDIELAND!" Rochelle cheered as well.

"Do any of you wonder why the lights are on? I mean… the parks been out of commission for at least a couple weeks… where does it get its power?" Nick observed, trying not to be in awe of all the lights. He had to remind himself that the lights only attracted more zombies and zombies were bad.

"Look out guys, zombies over there." Ellis said, pointing to the carousel. Without waiting to see who was keeping up, Ellis took off in that direction with his bat held high. Nick made sure to release his hand before the mechanic had taken off; otherwise he'd have been drug behind the over-enthused younger man.

"That boy is going to get himself killed." Coach said, shaking his head.

"No he won't; he knows Nick would miss him too much." Rochelle said, smirking at Nick before raising her gun to help Ellis out.

"Hey, watch it now. Shoot the zombies, no' me." Ellis complained as he came close to getting hit by a bullet.

"Sorry." Nick didn't sound sorry at all. Ellis couldn't dwell on the fact because of the shots that had hit the carousel's control panel, making it begin to spin.

"Alright!" Ellis jumped on a white horse and shot down zombies as he rode around the never ending loop of horses.

"You know Overalls, I don't think you'll ever grow up." Nick mentioned as they finished off the small group of zombies.

"'s tha' a good thing er a bad thing?" Ellis wondered out loud. He shrugged to himself, getting up onto the carousel horse's back so that he was in more of a surfing position.

"Alright, you've had your one ride. Now let's move on, _Kid._" Nick said as he gestured for Ellis to get down. Ellis ignored him for one more loop before jumping off and sticking the landing.

"9.5" Rochelle said as Ellis raised his hands in the air.

"I say that was an 8.7." Coach said jokingly.

"6.3." Nick grumbled, waiting for everyone else to grow up.

"Wha'? Tha' was so perfect you guys… 's gotta be like a 9.9" Ellis followed the others as they moved away from the carousel that was still spinning.

"May have been 'perfect' but you didn't do any tricks or anything impressive. You just stuck the landing." Nick criticized, smirking. Ellis rolled his eyes.

"Everyone's a critique." Ellis sighed. Feeling a little bored, now that his bubble had been burst, he aimed at some of the stuffed animals they walked by. He easily blew up several elephants as they went through.

"That's a great way to waste ammo _and_ attract attention." Nick noted.

"Awe your jus' jealous cuz no one ever won ya a stuffed animal buhfore." Ellis said. He shot down a small teddy bear holding a red heart balloon. "Here ya go."

"You can't be serious…" Nick eyed the teddy bear…. He didn't really know what to do given the situation.

"Oh, but he is Nick." Rochelle pointed out as they continued. Ellis was still holding the small stuffed animal out to Nick.

"Where exactly am I supposed to keep it?" Nick said, giving in.

"In your pocket a course." Ellis said as Nick took the bear from him. Ellis wore one of the biggest grins Nick had ever seen on the younger male. Nick just shook his head… silly little country boy. He did as was instructed though and put the bear into his pocket… which reminded him.

"Overalls, if you see any key chains of any kind; grab me one will you?"

"Sure thing Nick." Ellis nodded. A couple more zombies came running at them. One of them got too close to Nick and he smacked it in the face with the butt of his gun.

"Man, this has gotta be one a the best days ever!" Ellis said as he took down zombie after zombie; switching between a shot gun and a bat.

"If you say so." Coach shrugged, his expression showed what he really thought of the idea.

"Coach! Watch out!" Rochelle shouted just as a Jockey jumped on Coach's back.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Coach shouted. Ellis was headed to help when a smoker tongue wound its way around his waist.

"Overalls! Rochelle, you get Coach; I'll get Overalls." Nick said, sprinting in the direction Ellis was being dragged.

The Jockey drug Coach right into the middle of a group of zombies. They swiped at him, trying to take a bite but he fought them off as he tried to keep his balance. A particularly strong shove from behind him had him landing on his face. He could hear bullets fired over head and soon the hands that had been pawing at him were gone, and the excess weight of the Jockey had fallen from his back.

"Jeez Coach, I was really worried about you for a minute. Don't go down again, Ok? You might not be able to get back up next time." Rochelle said as she checked for any bite wounds or any other serious wounds. Finding that he didn't Rochelle gave him the all clear before checking first for any zombies and then looking to see how Nick and Ellis were doing… and from her perspective, it didn't look good.

"Hold still Overalls, you keep getting in my line of shot." Nick complained as he tried to aim at the smoker dragging Ellis away.

"S'not like I'm doin' this on purpose." Ellis said a little grouchily. Impending doom didn't mean anything to him; he was just impatient to be released from the tongue. A bullet whizzed by his head and he did his best to freeze; body naturally tensing to the loud sound.

"Careful where yer shootin' Nick." Ellis said, not really all that worried about Nick's shooting but deciding he'd mention it anyway.

"I'm not going to hit you, Kid." Nick said, taking another shot at the tongue and missing. There's no way in hell he'd hit Ellis; although he really did enjoy messing with the hick's head and coming close. It was a good thing that Nick knew how to shoot, and shoot well.

Ellis struggled with the tongue, trying to pull himself free. He was beyond done waiting for Nick to come save him… He didn't need saving. An idea struck him so that when he got down from this tongue, he'd never need to be rescued from one again. He just had to make sure to start carrying around a knife with him… hopefully something like a big pocket knife.

"The Hell with this." Nick said, shooting down zombies near him before racing to where Ellis was being dragged. He stamped his foot on the tongue; hoping to keep it from moving anymore as he pulled out his axe. His ingenious plan didn't quite turn out as planned… considering the tongue was too slippery to hold down…. But he was able to chop through it. As soon as he did Ellis spun around and shot several times into the area he guessed the smoker was considering he couldn't actually see it. A bellow of smoke advertised that he successfully finished it off.

"What… no thank you?" Nick said as Ellis headed toward Rochelle and Coach who were fighting off a couple of zombies.

"Sorry, I was jus' a lil lost in thought." Ellis explained, shrugging.

"That's a very dangerous pastime in a zombie apocalypse." Nick pointed out. Ellis rolled his eyes before picking up speed, noticing a rather large wave headed toward Rochelle and Coach. They noticed too; deciding it was time to head to a safe room or a place where they wouldn't be surrounded. They shot down zombies as they ran, thinning out the wave decently; it wasn't a dangerous flood of zombies… just one to be wary of.

"Shit!" Ellis said as something wrapped around his ankle and tripped him up. Nick was too busy shooting zombies and running to be paying any attention to his fallen comrade.

Ellis turned and fought to tear the tongue off of his ankle… he saw it coming before it even happened. Nick –still absorbed with the zombies chasing him- didn't notice the outstretched tongue dragging Ellis and tripped over it, landing on Ellis, knocking the wind out of both of them. The combined weight slowed the tongue down considerably. It gave Coach and Rochelle enough time to catch up. They covered Nick and Ellis' back while the two tried to untangle from each other. They had trouble as they tried to separate; trying to think coherently with stars still blazing in their vision.

Ellis blushed as Nick scrambled to get off of him. Of course Rochelle chose that moment to shout at them to stay down and pull out the automatic rifle that she had been saving for quite a while. She cut through the zombies, leaving twitch piles of limbs scattered across the ground.

Nick stared at Ellis feeling his body react to the position. It didn't help that Ellis' face was colored a very captivating red. Nick rested most of his weight on his elbows as he waited for Rochelle's ok. He could still here bullet shots overhead as Coach finished off any that had escaped Rochelle's fury.

"Ok." Rochelle said, keeping her gun raised just in case. Nick moved to get up, trying to be careful not to let anyone else see his 'little problem.' He was so focused on not touching Ellis that he didn't realize where he set his hand down as he tried to get up, shying away from the feel of diseased flesh from a zombie that had died nearby. In his shock he slipped and landed heavily on Ellis again. Ellis' expression was all shock as he stared up at Nick, his mouth making a perfect O.

Nick decided the situation really couldn't get any worse so he rolled off of Ellis, not minding if his suit got a little more dirt on it for once. Ellis was lying on the ground, completely stunned.

"Hey Ellis… you ok?" Rochelle asked, confused.

"Yeah." Ellis croaked, getting up slowly. His cheeks seemed to be stained red as they continued through the carnival. He pulled himself together though, chattering away aimlessly after only a short while. Nick relaxed with that; hoping it meant that Ellis hadn't noticed anything amiss…

"So what is up with that little peanut guy?" Rochelle asked.

"He's the mascot of this place –Lil Peanut- Him and his arch rival, Moustachio." Coach explained, smiling at some fond memory.

"He's kind of creepy…" Rochelle admitted.

"Wha'? No way! I love this lil guy!" Ellis exclaimed.

"You and Coach definitely had a strange childhood."

"Ya can't tell me tha' ya never had a fav'rite cartoon character, Nick." Ellis shook his head, not believing it.

"Nope." Nick said. The conversation would have probably continued if an unnerving sound hadn't rang through the air at that moment.

"Is that… laughter?" Rochelle asked, looking around.

"Something sounds… unnatural…." Coach whispered.

Two small figures came into view, seemingly chasing each other.

"What the Hell?" Nick could not believe his eyes. None of the survivors could as two children ran into view. But… there was something spine-chilling about them. They had the glowing, pale eyes of a zombie; as well as the random bite marks and injuries not to mention the pale skin.

"How? What?" Rochelle asked as the two kids paid the strange newcomers no mind, chasing each other around a booth; giggling nonstop.

"I always did wonder wha' happ'ned ta all the kids." Ellis mumbled to himself. Nick raised his gun, aiming at the nearest little brat.

"Nick! Wha' are ya doin'?!" Ellis tugged on Nick's arm, lowering the gun. Nick rolled his eyes, shoving Ellis away before raising his gun again and clicking a bullet into place. The two kids froze, turning to stare at Nick. Before Nick could even think to follow through and pull the trigger the two had disappeared from sight.

"What have you done…" Rochelle's voice quivered in horror… afraid of what might happen next. In a flash the two children were on Nick, tearing at him; his clothes, his hair, his limbs. They made attempts to bite him but he fought them off, shoving them away.

The children (not looking so much like children anymore) tackled Nick to the ground. They paid the other three survivors no mind as they wrestled the gun out of Nick's hands. Nick struggled to get the two away from him. They left scratch marks on his arms and bloody drool marks indicated where the children had attempted to chomp down on Nick.

Finally freeing the gun from Nick's grasp, the children tore the gun apart before turning to Nick again. Ellis realized he had to do something or deal with watching the children tear Nick to pieces.

Ellis had tears filling his eyes as he put a bullet through each child's head, before they could attack Nick again. Rochelle, Coach, and Ellis gathered around the small bodies.

"Why Nick? They didn' even do nothin'." Ellis said.

"They weren't even attacking us." Rochelle was in tears. It was strange to cry over a zombie… but somehow the children had maintained some of their innocence…

"They are _zombies._ Have you forgotten what that means already? Just because of a cute face?" Nick said, getting up and brushing himself off.

"They weren' doin' anybody any harm." Ellis said, glaring at Nick.

"Who's to say they weren't planning something." Nick stood his ground. He didn't even see it coming when Ellis punched him, making him stagger and hold his jaw.

"Yer just a son uva bitch." Ellis growled. With one last look at the two fallen bodies he continued on his way with Rochelle and Coach flanking either side of him.

Nick stood there, absolutely stunned. Pain pulsed in his jaw and he could feel it starting to swell already as he ran his fingers over the tender spot. He looked down at the children; wondering how it had come to this. He shook himself, refusing to let any sort of guilt or sympathy flow through him. He had done what was right; what was expected. If he hadn't killed the little brats, they would have killed them.

Nick followed behind the other three, staying a pretty big distance away but never letting the retreating figures leave his sight. As he walked along he realized he had never seen the Kid so pissed off… especially not at _him._ Would Ellis ever forgive him?

Nick mentally scolded himself. He didn't need the dumb hick to forgive him; he didn't care if Ellis liked him or not. Maybe if he said it enough times he'd come to believe it.

Ellis couldn't believe Nick; those strange little kids hadn't done anything to them. If Nick hadn't pulled out his gun Ellis didn't believe those kids would have done anything violent. Maybe… maybe Nick had a point though. A zombie is still a zombie right? And Nick was just reacting the way he would to any _zombie_; not the way he would react to a kid.

Ellis looked back at Nick and could see that the conman was brooding. He watched Nick run his finger over a darkening bruise that ran along his jaw. Ellis felt a little bad about that now; he had reacted out of anger and his mama told him he should never do that. At the same time, though, he felt that Nick had had it coming. Either way Ellis knew he would need to apologize eventually…would Nick accept it though? The mechanic shook his head; he didn't want their 'just coming to life' friendship to be over just because of a difference in opinion.

While the group continued along Ellis kept an eye on Nick to make sure that none of the special infected got him. There were random little patches of zombies; nothing all too serious. By the time they had reached the Tunnel of Love the whole kid zombie incident had been pushed to the back of everyone's mind. Rochelle was a little colder to Nick than usual and Coach wouldn't speak to him at all… but it could have been a lot worse.

Ellis sat down, leaning against the wall as he attempted to catch his breath. The last swarm had come as a real surprise as a clown appeared with like an army behind it. Nick slouched down next to Ellis, stretching and trying to relax a bit in their short break.

"Man, this place is even awesomer then I remember." Ellis said, having caught his breath. Nick just shook his head, faintly amused with Ellis.

"Boy, how can you still be enjoyin' all this?" Coach asked, healing himself with a med-kit.

"It's a living shooting course, Coach. How could any Kid not enjoy this?" Nick said, shrugging. Ellis just nodded, agreeing with Nick.

"Guess wha' guys?! I was able to snag a coupla hot dogs when we ran by that stand." Ellis said, pulling 3 wrapped packages out of one of his many pockets. Coach's expression brightened right up as Ellis handed him one. Rochelle and Nick however noticed there wasn't actually enough to go around. Ellis offered one to each Rochelle and Nick.

"What about you, Ellis?" Rochelle reluctantly took the package.

"S'okay. Not hungry." Ellis grinned. Of course his stomach had to go and give him away.

"Ellis…" Rochelle warned.

"You go ahead an' eat Ro', I got lotsa energy to spare. Yer gonna need some extra to keep up." Ellis said, working to keep his smile in place as his stomach grumbled. Rochelle wasn't quite sure what to do because… she was hungry. Nick saved her from worrying about it for too much longer.

"Here." Nick offered Ellis half. The mechanic looked up at him in surprise and Nick couldn't help but laugh at the expression.

"Really?" Ellis hadn't expected that at all…

"Yeah." Nick shoved half into Ellis' hands before eating his own half. Rochelle and Coach headed to another part of the room to plan their next move. Ellis and Nick had tried being a part of it once… but Rochelle and Coach kicked them out of the planning process when all Nick had to say was negative and Ellis kept getting side-tracked by things that had nothing to do with their current situation.

"Hey uh Nick…" Ellis said softly.

"Yeah, Kid?" Nick asked, staring at the wall across the room; trying to get as much rest as he could before they headed out again.

"'m sorry. I shouldn' a hitcha when you were jus' doin' wha' you thought was right." Ellis apologized. It caught Nick off guard and he turned to look at Ellis. The mechanic had his head bowed, eyes hid underneath the bill of his hat. Nick could see the flush on his cheeks though, and knew it must have been at least a little hard for Ellis to apologize when he still felt Nick was in the partial wrong.

"Don't worry about it, Sport." Nick said, patting him on the head. "I should have waited to see if they were going to kill us first." Just a little sarcasm dripped from the last sentence…. But it was sincere enough for Ellis.

"Man, I really messed yer jaw up real good." Ellis mentioned.

"You think?" Nick said, his mood darkening at the thought. "Remind me never to get into a fair fight with you…"

"You say 'fair fight' as if there's any other way to fight." Ellis poked Nick.

"There is. It's called fighting dirty." Nick explained, giving Ellis a look when the kid moved to poke him again. He froze a moment, looking like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, before poking Nick, then jumping away from him.

"You couldn' beat me in any sort a fight." Ellis gloated, smug smirk in place.

"Whatever, kid. I prefer not to prove you wrong." Nick shrugged, closing his eyes.

"Come on Nick, you jus' don' wanna lose!" Ellis got close enough to poke Nick again, staring down into his vivid green eyes when Nick looked up at him. Ellis' breath caught in his throat as the conman stared up at him.

"I don't want to burst your enormous ego." Nick said simply, trying not to swallow thickly as he noticed how close Ellis was to him. His eyes strayed to Ellis' lips for a moment before he blinked and forced himself to meet Ellis' eyes again. The mechanic noticed Nick's preoccupation with his lips and felt his face flush red, but he didn't back down.

"Me? Have an ego? No way Nick, ya done got me confused with some other guy."

"Alright Kid, get ready to have your ass handed to you on a silver platter." Nick said, giving in. He stopped to think about how he would go about doing this… would be play fair and let the kid win? Maybe throw in some dirty tricks yet still let the silly mechanic beat him? Or should he just leave the kid in the dust…?

"Don't hurt each other or yourselves." Rochelle called over.

"Right… Don't hurt me, kid." Nick chuckled knowing only too well that he was playing with fire. The biggest question would be if he'd get burned or not…

Ellis took a wide stance, hands fisted and facing Nick. Nick could see that the kid hadn't ever really fought for his life before (well, before the zombies; but that's a different sort of fight). Sure, he might have beat up a couple bullies and Nick figured he rough housed with his friends… but Nick had scrapped for his life. He knew how to survive; this kid knew how to do damage. And in a battle where he wasn't really supposed to hurt his opponent, Ellis was at a serious disadvantage.

Nick stood, looking at total ease. He made sure to keep his hands open, knowing that allowed more diversity. He kept his weight shifting between his feet so that he could easily take the flight in the fight or flight option and come at the kid from another angle.

Ellis lunged at Nick but Nick had seen that glint of determination in the kid's eyes and knew it was coming. He side stepped Ellis, expecting to easily be able to dodge the kid as momentum took him head first into a wall but Ellis shifted his direction. Nick hadn't realized how agile Ellis really was as a shoulder hit him squarely, knocking him to the ground with Ellis over him.

Nick lightly tested how pinned he was and finding that Ellis was trying not to put too much weight on him; he used it to his advantage. He kicked out, knocking one of Ellis' legs out from underneath him and rolling so that he was now on top of the mechanic.

Ellis lay face down on the ground, the slightly heavy weight of Nick resting on his back. Nick had caught one of Ellis' arms and had it twisted behind his back before the mechanic had a chance to react.

"I guess I can beat you in a fair fight." Nick said, realizing he hadn't cheated during the fight at all.

"Don' surprise me." Ellis laughed as Nick released him. "Yer definitely a badass, Nick."

"Thanks Kid…" Nick was put off by Ellis' light heartedness at losing, again.

"Did you both make it out alive?" Coach said, noticing their little skirmish had ended with no blood and no new bruises.

"Ayep." Ellis said, shoving Nick playfully.

"Well that was a great way to waste energy. Your ego still intact?" Nick said as he sat back down, stretching languidly. He was secretly extremely proud of his accomplishment…

"I'mma thinkin' so." Ellis said, sitting next to him. "I reckon I'll beatcha next time."

"You go ahead and try Kid. It's a sucker's bet either way."

Nick was caught off guard when Ellis slung his arm over Nick's shoulder. Nick attempted to look at least a little annoyed at Ellis but the mechanic just grinned back.

"You sure 'bout not wantin' a 'Bros' tattoo?"

"As tempting as that is," Nick said, fighting not to roll his eyes, "it's just.. well you know what? Ask me again when we make it out of this shit and we'll see."

"Really?" Ellis' smile was huge.

"That's not a promise. That's not even a _Yes._" Nick pointed out.

"'s better then No." Ellis countered.

"Valid point, for once."

"For once?! Man, I got lotsa valid points. Like this one time, me an' Keith-"

"You guys ready to hear the plan?" Rochelle cut in; knowing that if she didn't it'd be another 10 minutes before she'd be able to get in a word edgewise.

"As ready as we'll ever be. You'll just have to tell me about this Keith adventure later." Nick said. Ellis' eyes shone and Nick wondered what he had just gotten himself into.

"Anybody else realize we're in the Tunnel a Love?" Ellis said randomly.

"I think everyone else but you noticed." Nick said, giving Ellis a playful shove.

"Ok, who killed Nick and brought us this decent person?" Rochelle teased, noticing how buddy-buddy Nick was being.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nick said, bringing back his cold and collected self.

"Yep, that's definitely the Nick we know." Coach said.

"And Love." Ellis grinned, poking Nick again. Nick was never going understand this kid.

"So, did you want to hear the plan?" Rochelle asked again, trying to fill the slightly awkward silence.

"I have a question." Nick interrupted before Rochelle could continue.

"Yes. Nick?" Rochelle was a little annoyed at being interrupted. She shrugged it off though; no point getting angry over men being men.

"What do we do as far as children zombies are concerned?"

"We aren' gonna hafta worry 'bout them in here, Nick." Ellis snickered.

"I meant for future reference." Nick said, giving Ellis a glare.

"We still don't know much about them… I guess we should-" Rochelle began but Ellis cut her off.

"We shoul' jus' wait ta see if they're gonna kill us, first." Ellis said, trying to quote Nick's earlier words. Rochelle shrugged, not having a better idea. They could take on kid zombies right?

"Jus' don' go an' point yer gun at any of 'em."

"Right." Coach and Rochelle nodded. Nick was a little more reluctant to agree but he really didn't want the other side of his jaw to obtain a bruise as well so he nodded.

"Does everyone have a med-kit?" Coach asked, checking to make sure that he had one on his back. Rochelle, Nick, and Ellis all chimed in that they also had health packs and all the extras had been used to put all 4 in top fighting condition considering the situation.

Into the Tunnel of Love the 4 headed.

"Did I tell ya guys 'bout the time that my buddy Keith drowned in a Tunnel of Love ride?" Ellis asked as they made their way along the crashed ride. Swans lay abandoned all throughout the tunnel.

"I didn't know that it was possible to drown in knee deep water." Nick's scorn shone through.

"It's actually possible to drown in an inch of water." Coach corrected.

"Thank you, Peanut Gallery." Nick growled.

"Well anyways-" Ellis was about to continue when he noticed something rather unpleasant… "OH SHIT GUYS! LOTSA ZOMBIES AHEAD!" Ellis said, not exactly thrilled with the idea. He enjoyed shooting zombies, sure… but he hated being surrounded.

"Fan-Fucking-Tastic." Nick growled as he made sure his gun was loaded and ready to go. Ellis backed up so that he stood in a line with Rochelle, Coach and Nick.

"Man, how many people were on this ride durin' the 'pocalypse?" Ellis asked as the team shot down the horde of screaming zombies running at them. It caught him by surprise when something struck him from behind, knocking him to his knees.

"Kid!" Nick knocked the zombie clawing at Ellis off with the butt of his gun before shooting it in the head. He helped Ellis back up, keeping an eye out behind them now while they focused mainly on the horde that was thinning but still racing towards them.

"I have a feeling that there were plenty of zombies attacking the park so there may not have been many on the ride, but do you see how many zombies can be drawn by only 4 people?" Nick explained as the group of zombies got smaller but closer.

The zombies slammed into the survivors, pushing Rochelle and Nick back a little and making Coach take a step back. The zombies that ran into Ellis bounced back as if they had run into a wall. They sat their stunned for a moment before they got to their feet to attack Ellis. Ellis calmly and cleanly shot them all down before he gave Rochelle a hand.

"Hunter!" Rochelle warned but it had already pounced on Coach's back. It was chaos for a while as Coach shouted at them to get the Hunter off of him and the other three struggled to comply while keeping the zombies off of themselves. There were a couple gouges in Coach's back by the time they were able to shoot the Hunter off.

"Hold up guys, I'm gonna heal." Coach told them as he grabbed his med-kit. Ellis smoothly shoved his gun onto his back and pulled out the axe he had recently acquired. He went at the zombie that had grabbed Nick's gun, before chopping down a zombie that made a move to lay a hand on him. It didn't take too long for all the zombies to be laying on the ground in scattered pieces.

"Is everyone ready to move onward?" Nick asked, looking around the group.

"Ready." Rochelle and Coach said. Ellis was about to agree when he noticed just how torn up Nick was.

"Guys, 'm gonna need a second ta heal." Ellis said. The three nodded their consent but was caught off guard when he headed over to Nick.

"Yer not lookin' so good Nick. Ya need ta heal." Ellis said as he looked over just how much damage Nick had taken.

"I'm fine, kid. We need to keep moving." Nick argued.

"Git yer shirt off an' let me heal ya." Ellis said as he looked over Nick's freshly acquired wounds.

"We don't have time." Nick didn't make a move to take his shirt off.

"Fine, don' wanna take yer shirt off… at least lemme wrap you up a lil to help stop all the bleedin'." Ellis requested, finally agreeing that they didn't really have the time for Ellis to be thorough.

Ellis quickly and efficiently cleaned Nick up and they were once again on their way… Ellis was still worried about Nick, however. He just hoped none of the injuries got infected. He was distracted from his thoughts as his hat was snagged off his head.

"NICK! Man, wha' have I told ya 'bout messin' with my hat!" Ellis made a grab for his hat but Nick dodged easily.

"Aw come on kid, can't I wear it for just a little while?" Nick taunted, making sure to stay just out of Ellis' reach as the continued down the Tunnel of Love. Ellis didn't answer; choosing to grumble to himself instead.

"Come on you two." Rochelle ushered, pushing the boys along.

"Rochelle, make 'im give me my hat back." Ellis said, pouting petulantly. Rochelle knew he was kidding; he could probably get his hat back if he really wanted to. Nick rolled his eyes at Ellis' childish behavior.

"Right, go run to mommy, Ellis." Nick teased, poking Ellis in the ribs. The two laughed as Ellis slung his arm around Nick's shoulders again.

The group walked along in high spirits, Ellis poking fun at Nick about his conman germs getting on his hat while Nick gave Ellis a hard time about loving an inanimate object so much. When Ellis showed no signs of releasing Nick, Nick gingerly wrapped his arm around Ellis' waist.

"Kid, what do you have in your pockets?" Nick asked, caught off guard by the bulkiness of them when he accidently bumped into Ellis.

"Our books." Ellis said, shrugging.

"You still have them? You are such a goof." Nick said, reaching up to noogie Ellis' head. It was an interesting sort of treat for Nick to be able to mess with Ellis' hair. It was comforting wearing Ellis' hat as well, knowing that the kid was sharing with him something that meant so much to him.

"But tha's why ya love me, right?" Ellis teased, taking his hat and setting it on Nick's head backwards.

"Oh, they are just so cute." Rochelle said, finding it amazing how Ellis seemed to be able to bring out the best in Nick.

"It's unnatural…" Coach complained… he may have forced himself to put up with it without saying anything to them but he still found it wrong.

"Oh, Lighten up Coach… at least this Nick is better than the cynical, cold hearted Nick." Rochelle pointed out.

"That's the Nick I'm used to though. This Nick is just…weird. It's like it's not Nick… it's some imposter in Nick's body." Coach tried to get Rochelle to see his point of view.

"I see what you mean, Coach, but I'm happy for him. I mean… it sounds like he hasn't had a very good life and Ellis is such a good influence…" Rochelle shrugged, watching the two men fool around.

Nick knew he had to give Ellis' hat back eventually so he made sure to run his fingers playfully through Ellis' hair before handing it back over. Ellis looked up at him; his expression was all sincere happiness and smiles.

"Goodness, what would you do without that hat." Nick said, knocking the bill down over Ellis' eyes.

"Dunno… was a gift from my mom when I got my first job." Ellis took his hat off to show the very faded writing.

"You've had that hat for that long?" Nick was impressed as Ellis put his hat back on.

"Ayep. It's real special ta me." Ellis grinned at a fond memory. "Keith has a matching one, but in red… we got our first job tuh-gether."

"What are you going to do if you find out that Keith didn't make it out?" Nick asked, suddenly serious.

"Well ya see Nick, tha's jus' not an option. With everything else Keith has made it through, these good fer nothin' zombies are like… they ain't nothin' ta Keith. He'll make it out ok." Ellis said confidently.

"For your and his sake, I hope you're right." Nick smiled fondly at Ellis, enjoying the feel of a sincere smile. He couldn't remember the last time he had really smiled before he met Ellis… This kid was really sending him for a complete 360 degree loop.

"You got anyone tha' ya hope made it ok?"

"Not that comes immediately to mind. Family and friends weren't something I had before the apocalypse."

Ellis caught on to what Nick was implying and his smile widened.

"Hey, are we gonna stay bros after this apocalypse is over?" Ellis inquired.

"That's implying that there will be an end to this; I personally think the human race is going to get wiped out."

"Well tha's a great view on life, Nick."

"It's the truth, ok. So sue me for being realistic."

"Yer such a pain sometimes." Ellis teased.

"Ok, well… if we do make it outta this… we'll just have to see. One of us might not make it."

"I don' know what yer talkin' bout when I got yer back, an' you got mine, plus we got Ro' an' Coach." Ellis looked at all the crashed swans, wondering if he would make it out of this but Nick wouldn't… What if he was the only one who made it out? Ellis didn't think he would make it out in that case; it really was a team effort.

"You keep on thinking that, ok Kid? Don't give up hope; if not for you than for the rest of us too."

Ellis seriously thought about their conversation as they continued along the tunnel, knocking down zombies that came across their path. At least, for right now, everything was ok and they were all together. And Ellis planned on keeping it that way until either he was dead or they were all out of this mess.


	9. Admit the Truth

Ok…. So this took way too long to finish… on the Brightside I have a headstart on chapter 10… don't hate me ok guys? Just keep reading.. although I guess no one's forcing you or anything and I'll admit it gets worse before it gets better but… it gets better, I swear. It was fun writing this chapter… as long as it took. Anyways, kudos to anyone who read this (I know plenty that I've skimmed over just to get to the story) Hope you enjoy

Chapter 9

"God, I thought we'd never make it out of there." Nick said, relishing in the fresh air outside of the Tunnel of Love.

"I've been reminded why I never wanted to go on that ride." Rochelle said, grateful to escape the never ending tunnel.

"What's the matter, Rochelle? Never wanted to make out with your man for an obscene amount of time on a white swan?" Nick teased.

"Not particularly, no."

"Wha' 'bout tha' Francis guy? Wouldja go on the ride with 'im?" Ellis asked, nudging Rochelle.

"Um no." Rochelle shook her head, faintly entertained by it all.

"Clown!" Ellis shouted suddenly, shooting a bullet into the clown and dropping it then and there.

"Nice shot, Ace." Nick said, patting Ellis on the back. He was about to comment again when an eerie, familiar sound filled the air.

"Everyone put your guns away." Rochelle said slowly as a small group of child zombies ran into view. Everyone did as told, watching the small figures grow larger as they got closer. One of the zombie children looked at Ellis, but it just gave a blank, disconcerting smile and waved at him. Not knowing what else to do, Ellis waved back.

None of the group really knew what to do with the children… they were living a damned sort of existence and CEDA would certainly wipe them all out; if there even was still a CEDA. Wouldn't it be right to do the kids a favor and finish them now? But they just seemed so harmless… Nick was the only one with the steel heart towards both zombies and children who believed without a doubt that they should be put down. However, he was out-ruled by three Saps… so the children were left alone as the wanderers continued.

Walking through this new area of Whispering Oaks Nick noticed two things. First of all, there seemed to be no adult zombies in the area… he wondered if they avoided the child zombies. Second, the undead brats seemed to pay a lot of attention to Ellis; smiling and waving. Ellis admitted some of them creeped him out but he always made sure to smile and wave back; so that he wouldn't upset them. Nick kept his opinion to himself; that Ellis really actually enjoyed all the attention he was getting.

"Do these kids know you, Overalls?" Nick finally asked, irritated.

"No, I'm not thinkin' so. None of 'em look familiar." Ellis said, shrugging. They had reached a more 'populated' area, a scattering of kids wherever you looked. It made Nick extremely nervous.

"Well they sure seem to like you." Rochelle observed as a couple kids stopped to watch Ellis pass. The kids, whether consciously or not, never really seemed to stray into the survivors' path… walking out of the way whenever the 4 adults came near. Some of them were missing limbs; some eyes; some faces in general…

"These lil guys er creepier than hell but somehow cute." Ellis mentioned as a little girl in a princess outfit passed them, dragging a beat-up teddy bear behind her. Half of her face was torn and she had spots where it looked like something gnawed on her. Her teddy bear was missing an arm as well.

"You know what I've noticed?" Rochelle had been watching the children closely.

"That I'm extremely sexy and devilishly handsome?" Nick guessed, earning a playful shove from Ellis. He also thought he caught a wink but Nick couldn't be sure.

"There are so many things I could say to that, but I'll refrain. So anyway, I notice that the children don't tend to have blood dripping from their lips the way most of the adult zombies do. It's like… they don't feed on human flesh…"

"That or they make sure to wash up after every meal." Nick tossed in.

"Haha, very funny." Coach grumbled.

"Coach, is there anything wrong?" Rochelle had noticed that Coach seemed to be in a sour mood… or maybe it was just a depressed mood? But she couldn't figure out why.

"Nothing. I'm am doing just fine, Girl." Coach lagged to the back of the group.

"Hey, didn' Coach mention somethin' bout havin' kids?" Ellis whispered to Rochelle and Nick.

"I don't think so…. I think I would have remembered that…" Rochelle replied just as softly.

"All I've heard about is a wife…. Nothing about kids." Nick said, just as puzzled as the rest. Coach was watching the zombie kids with wonderment on his face.

"If he wants us to know, he'll explain later." Rochelle looked like curiosity was killing her; Nick didn't know how she was keeping herself in check.

"Maybe 's jus' the idea of the zombie kids tha's getting' ta Coach." Ellis said. "Ya know, like how Coach is real religious… maybe he finds 'em unnatural and doesn' like 'em or somethin'…" Ellis said, trying to figure out alternatives.

"Leave the theorizing for the big kids, ok Overalls?" Nick noogied Ellis, messing up his hat and his hair. Ellis stuck his tongue out at Nick before running his fingers through his hair and fixing his hat.

"Well that's mature." Nick observed. "You better watch out, a zombie might come along and bite your tongue off."

"As if you'd let it, Nick." Rochelle teased. Nick caught the undercurrent of what she meant: one of those 'because only you can do that to him'. Rochelle's implications had Nick's cheeks staining red. It brought images of tongue wars with Ellis to mind…

"I'm kinda thinkin' I missed somethin'…" Ellis stood a little dumbstruck as Rochelle laughed and Nick's face grew redder. Ellis figured the redness was more from anger… but he couldn't figure out why Nick was angry. If Nick let a zombie bite Ellis' tongue off then Ellis would become infected and would no longer be any good to Nick… It was perfect logic in Ellis' mind… so why was Nick angry? And why did it seem like Rochelle was fighting really girly giggles?

"Don't worry about it, Sport. Rochelle is reading too much into things." Nick glowered at the ground, wondering why he had to get stuck with a woman who thought she was intuitive… then again, all women think that; don't they? He pinched the bridge of his nose as he waited for his embarrassment to subside.

Rochelle looked like she had a snarky but teasing reply when Ellis interrupted.

"OH MY GOD GUYS! IT'S THE SCREAMIN' OAK!" Ellis shouted, pointing at a rollercoaster looming ahead.

"Overalls… zombies are attracted to sound… what is it that you don't understand about using 'inside voices'?" Nick scolded, looking around cautiously; ready for anything to pounce on them.

"Oh… sorry Nick." Ellis was only slightly abashed. His eyes glittered with longing as he gazed at the Screaming Oak Rollercoaster.

"That one doesn't seem to be running." Coach observed as the group paused to look at it. The kid zombies had thinned out until the travelers were on their own again, walking through what seemed to be a deserted amusement park.

"Can we get it goin' or somethin'? Please?" Ellis pulled out his puppy dog pout; the one that got Keith, Dave, Mom and all others to bow down to his wishes. Ok, maybe not bow down but it certainly helped him get what he wanted a lot of the time.

"You do that and you're going to attract every zombie in the area. You do realize that right?" Nick sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Pleaaaaaase Ro'?" Ellis said, putting the full power of the pout on her. She looked away, shaking her head.

"I don't think so honey, sorry."

"Coach?" Ellis begged.

"Sorry boy, but I'm not stupid. I'm not going to go riskin' my life for a quick rollercoaster ride."

Nick knew it was coming; he braced himself as Ellis turned to him.

"Pleaaaaase Nick? When are we ever gonna be here again? Please?" Ellis pleaded. Nick tried to focus on something else but Ellis' doe-eyed look kept dragging him back to look at Ellis' face. Nick could feel his resolve slipping; what could it hurt if it made the kid happy right? Wrong, it would be putting them all in danger.

"Can't you just run along the tracks or something?" Nick suggested, cursing his weak defense against Ellis.

"Dude… tha' is like a Freakin' Awesome idea!" Ellis cheered.

"Oh Nick, what have you gotten us into?" Rochelle said; stuck between reproach and delight.

"Nice compromise, boy." Coach said, clapping Nick on the shoulder but only half sincere. Coach was not looking forward to running anywhere; it was bad enough to have to run from zombies. Coach prayed that his knees didn't decide to give in any time soon.

"So wait, what are we accomplishing running on the rollercoaster? It goes in a loop…" Rochelle brought up. Dang, a hole in Nick's random plan…

"It's… to…" Nick started, trying to think of something reasonable.

Ellis crossed on the tracks and an alarm started going off.

"Shut off that alarm…" Nick finished; both glad to have a real reason and annoyed that he had a real reason.

"Oh Shit Guys, here they come!" Ellis warned as the noise from the alarm attracted a horde of zombies that climbed the fences and stormed towards the survivors.

"Go, Go, Go!" Coach commanded as they all sprinted for the tracks, Ellis having a really good lead on all of them. Nick could hear the younger male curse as a zombie attacked him from behind. Nick took the creature down, mumbling to himself 'better keep your slimy hands off of him.'

Ellis raced the tracks, loving the zombies to kill at every turn and the full thrill of running on roller coaster tracks. He froze only when a familiar shout caught his ears.

"Nick!" Ellis aimed at the Jockey riding on Nick's back. On the precarious tracks the jockey was especially dangerous and Ellis took careful aim as the Jockey attempted to drag Nick right over the side.

"Damn Back Humper." Ellis said, putting a bullet through its head. Nick was still off balance though, and as much as he windmilled his arms he couldn't prevent himself from falling over the edge.

"NICK!" Nick was no longer in sight. Ellis ran over to the edge, his heart racing. He felt it freeze, surprised by the shout from over the edge of the roller coaster tracks.

"GODDAMMIT, DO NOT LEAVE ME HERE!" Nick shouted, hanging on for dear life to a rail running under the tracks.

"Wouldn' dream of it." Ellis said, reaching down to where Nick was. Nick only hesitated a moment before taking Ellis' hand but of course more trouble had to strike.

In Ellis' preoccupation with rescuing Nick, he didn't notice the zombie that came up behind him. The zombie swiped at Ellis, taking the mechanic completely off guard. Ellis was knocked over the tracks and only Nick kept him from falling to the ground.

"Goddammit all! Now what?" Nick said, clinging to the rail and Ellis. Ellis made sure not to look down as shots were let off overhead.

"Don' let go, ok Nick?" Ellis gulped nervously, gripping Nick's hand tightly.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Kid." Nick said, gripping the rail tighter. There was a shout of distress from above and a lit Molotov fell over the side of the track, barely missing Nick and Ellis.

"Damn that Nick, he just had to give in to Ellis." Coach complained somewhere overhead.

"Why don't you quit your belly aching and get your ass over here to save Ellis and me!" Nick called up. The Molotov hit the ground, flaring up at that moment. Ellis pulled his feet up, trying to avoid the flames.

"Be ready, Kid." Nick warned, realizing Coach and Rochelle were a little too busy to save them at the moment. He swung Ellis back and forth, trying to keep him out of the flames, before giving Ellis a kind of throw into the rails. Ellis was able to grab on, so that he was in about the same predicament as Nick. The two looked at each other, smiling.

"Wow." Ellis said, looking down. "I was almost barbequed cowboy."

"You're a cowboy? Since when?" Nick asked. Of course, even in a possible death circumstance, the two could still banter.

"Since… well I reckon always. I can ride an' shoot, an' I been able to ever since I can r'member." Ellis readjusted his grip, trying to find a more comfortable position.

"Being able to ride and shoot does not make you a cowboy." Nick scoffed.

"It does so!" Ellis argued.

"Uh, no kid, it does not."

"Does so."

"Does Not."

"Ok then, whadda you say a cowboy needs?" Their banter was cut off as Rochelle offered Nick a hand to help him up.

"It took you long enough, Honey." Nick said. She growled something incoherent as she helped Nick back onto the tracks, glaring at him. Coach was too busy keeping the zombies off of them so Rochelle made a move to help Ellis but Nick stopped her. "No, no… I got it."

"Whatever, Nick." Rochelle said, covering his back as more zombies clambered their way to where the survivors were.

"How ya holdin up, Kid?" Nick asked as he hauled Ellis up to safety.

"I'm thinkin' tha' there's 'nough fight ta finish these suckers off an' then some."

"That's the spirit." Nick said, clapping Ellis on the shoulder before reloading his gun. Ellis ran ahead of the group, axe held high in the air as he attacked zombies left and right; leaving the other three to mainly cover their backs.

"Ya know guys, when we make it outta here we gotta make a video game outta our adventure!" Ellis shouted back, realizing if he had this much fun living it than someone would definitely enjoy playing it; especially considering their lives wouldn't be on the line.

The survivors continued, getting to a part of the track steep enough that all (except for Ellis) had to climb up the rails. Ellis got a running head-start and ran most of the way up.

"Man, I can see like Everything from up here!" Ellis said, balancing on the sharply rounded top of the track.

"This must have been one hell of a ride." Nick said sarcastically, only glad that he didn't have to fight zombies while he was climbing.

"You have no-" Ellis had been responding but he cut off suddenly.

"Kid?" Nick said, straining his neck to look up… Ellis wasn't there anymore.

"Oh God!" Rochelle screamed, pointing at a figure lying motionless on the ground, a tongue tied snugly around it.

"Ellis!" Nick said, making a move to slide over the tracks and climb down to Ellis. Rochelle grabbed his arm.

"There's a 50 foot drop there…" Rochelle said. They both watched as the tongue started pulling Ellis away… but that wasn't the only problem… zombies around had noticed there was living flesh among them.

"Shit! Ellis!" Nick took out the only gun he had with a scope and started shooting zombies before they reached him. Rochelle and Coach followed suit, also making sure no zombies reached them. The tongue continued to pull Ellis away so Nick decided to focus on that, and with a lucky shot he was able to sever it. Ellis still hadn't responded. He hadn't moved so much as a muscle from what the other three survivors could see.

"No… Ellis…" Rochelle was choking up. They kept shooting down zombies regardless. Even as they shot them down, the alarm brought more and the survivors were very quickly running out of ammo.

"Shit, we need to shut that alarm off!" Coach managed to get out, blowing off another zombie head.

"Nick, go take care of the alarm. We'll protect Ellis." Rochelle commanded.

"No! I am not leaving him in your care!" Nick argued, shaking his head.

"The longer you wait the less ammo we have…" Rochelle hissed, shooting down another lumbering undead. Luckily, because Ellis lay their unconscious, the zombies didn't seem in any hurry to reach him. Sometimes Rochelle wondered if the zombies did, indeed, have a higher reasoning than the survivors thought.

Nick gave one last look at Ellis before sprinting to the slope and climbing up it as fast as his limbs would carry him. He jumped down the other side, landing roughly on one of his ankles.

"Fucking Wonderful." Nick said, ignoring the pain blossoming in his ankle and running down the track. Seeing zombies ahead he took out a bat and gave the undead no mercy.

Nick didn't allow the infected to slow him down, mainly knocking down any that got into his way or were close enough to reach him. At the pace he was going it was relatively easy to reach the alarm in decent time; but even decent time was a fairly long time with the amount of track he had to run.

Nick finally reached the alarm, panting for breath. He shut it off before turning to the mindless creatures that had followed him. He let his bat do the talking as the zombies surrounded him; his only thought was to reach Ellis. With a picture of the hillbilly mechanic in his mind, Nick reduced all nearby zombies to pulp.

Nick paused for a moment to reassess his position. Should he head back to Coach and Rochelle? Or see if he could find where Ellis was lying on the ground. He decided that Coach and Rochelle could cover his back; he just needed to get an idea of where Ellis was and make his way there. Shouldn't be too hard considering he was surrounded by a horde when Nick had left so… either he's still surrounded by a horde or lots of dead bodies.

Nick looked around, trying to figure out on which side of the track Ellis was even on. Well… if he had been on the right side when Nick was facing that hill on the track… then be must be on the Left side when he faced the track to go back to Rochelle and Coach. Without further hesitation Nick sprinted to the left, trying to run alongside the track while taking out zombies.

Nick felt his heart lurch as he heard a hunter… without anyone to cover him if the hunter caught him he was dead. He saw it just as it leapt into the air to pounce on him and filled it full of bullet holes. The hunter still crashed into him and he was sent hurtling into the ground. He felt his head slam into the ground and it was lights out for him.

Rochelle looked around. The alarm had been shut off but she had seen no sign of Nick anywhere. Meanwhile, she and Coach were running out of ammo. These were the kinds of tough spots a zombie apocalypse put you in… Ellis, realistically, was probably dead from the fall. Nick may have just been caught up in a horde but then again he may need help. Rochelle felt her heart break at the concept that they had finally lost Ellis…. Coach said he wouldn't leave Ellis till he was out of bullets… so they stayed, waiting for Nick to return and growing more anxious by the second.

It looked like no matter what, one way or the other, the group of four was down to three.

Coach stared at his gun in dread as it clicked; empty. Rochelle too…

"Oh Ellis, I'm so sorry…" Rochelle fought tears as she and Coach climbed up the slope in search of Nick. Whatever had happened to the conman had doomed whatever chance Ellis had of being saved.

Rochelle scanned the side of the track, looking for a worn out white suit. Where could Nick have gotten off to? Rochelle felt dread course through her at the thought that she and Coach may be the only two left. But no… what was that?

"Coach, I think I see him!" Rochelle said as they reached the roller coaster's platform and left the ride.

"Where?" Coach said, looking around. Rochelle pulled out her katana, ready for zombies as she pointed out the right direction. She and Coach sprinted along-side the track, heading for the scrap of white underneath a darker form.

"Oh God… No…" Rochelle said, noticing it was a hunter when she got closer… but why wasn't it moving? So maybe that wasn't Nick's blood pooling around him.

When Rochelle and Coach reached him they realized the hunter was dead.. but how? And why wasn't Nick moving either.

"Be ready for anything…" Coach warned as he shoved the Hunter off of Nick. Both flinched, expecting some terribly fatal wound to be slashed across Nick's chest… Nope; nothing. Rochelle was fairly confused until she helped the unconscious gambler sit up and found the lump on his head.

"Coach, help me." Rochelle said, slinging one of Nick's arms over her shoulder and lifting him up. Coach grabbed the other arm and they carried Nick along; looking for a safehouse anywhere. It was getting really difficult to wield her sword and hold up Nick's dead weight. She took hope when Nick's eye's fluttered a few times. She felt her heart wrench when he started mumbling to himself. Only one word was coherent.

"Ellis…" Nick murmured softly.

"Look! Over there!" Rochelle said, pointing out a little shack that had been boarded up. It seemed to be a snack shack too, so they'd hopefully be able to find something to eat in there.

Coach slammed the door shut behind him in relief… until he remembered they were missing a member. He slouched dejectedly against the door, landing heavily on the ground.

Rochelle could no longer hold back her sobs… how can it be that one moment Ellis could be there, lively and strong, and the next minute he's not? How could fate be so cruel?

Rochelle tended to Nick before grabbing some candy bars and bags of chips for her and Coach. They sat down, intending to eat… but they both just stared at the food. Even Coach didn't have an appetite. Rochelle curled up in a corner, letting the misery overtake her; promising herself in the morning she'd be strong enough to move on but tonight she could feel the pain of losing a friend.

Coach stared numbly at a wall… Sure, Ellis had been annoying at times but still; he had been a good kid. Why would the good Lord take him away like that? Ellis had fought so hard and he had been a believer… why did the good always have to pay? Coach let a morbid thought slide through his mind before he let darkness overtake him: Only the good die young.

….

Nick awoke with a start, sitting up quickly and looking around at his surroundings. He felt alarm coursing through his system but his brain was still filled with fog and sluggish to catch up with what was going on… Nick squinted his eyes, waiting for his thoughts to organize them-selves and explain this sense of foreboding.

Nick searched for… something. Whenever he woke up from bed there was something with him… what was it? All he could figure out was that it wasn't there now.

"God, I must've hit my head hard…" Nick ran his fingers through his hair and winced as he touched on a sore spot. He gingerly searched the spot, finding that it had been tended and that it ranged a large area on his head.

"Did I get into a fight or something?..." Nick got out of bed and nearly tripped over someone. Why was a person lying on the floor? Who was… oh.. Rochelle. Right, the zombie apocalypse was going on. He was stuck with Rochelle, Coach, and Ellis. Where had Ellis gotten off to this time? He saw Coach lying a few feet away; again on the floor… but he didn't see Ellis anywhere.

"Ellis? Hey Overalls, where'd you get to?" Nick asked; more himself than anyone. That all too familiar feeling of terror began to wash over him again. "H-Hey…Hey Sport? Where are you?"

Nick heard no answer so he wandered from room to room, searching for that sweet smile; the innocent baby blue eyes; the dark farmers tan; the blue trucker's hat; anything that pertained to Ellis.

Nick's search ended up empty handed and he worked to swallow the panic and fear that was slowly rising in his throat… It choked off his breathing before he fought it back down, trying to fight the overwhelming emotions. It would all be alright… Ellis had to be around here somewhere.

When Rochelle awoke and he got a good look at her red rimmed eyes he knew the truth. He denied it though… it couldn't be… there was no way. He fell to his knees in front of Rochelle, begging Fate; God; anything, anyone… that it wasn't true.

"Rochelle… where's Ellis?" Nick's question came out as a hoarse whisper. He felt tears burn at the back of his eyes but he couldn't let them come out; he hadn't cried since the divorce with his wife. Just because he was a conman didn't mean that he was heartless; he just worked harder to hide it.

Rochelle shook her head, mouthing wordlessly. She couldn't meet Nick's eyes. Why did it have to be Ellis?

"What happened?" Nick hadn't resigned himself to believing Ellis was gone… maybe he could find a loop hole in Rochelle's story. Maybe there was hope yet…

"The rollercoaster.. you hadn't come back and we were out of ammo. There was nothing we could do Nick… Nothing." Rochelle felt her heart crumble all over again. She would not give into the wave of tears though; she had promised herself.

Nick nodded, hearing what Rochelle said but not actually taking it to heart. He wasn't going to accept that Ellis was dead… not that kid. There was no way.

"There are some snacks in the other room if you want something to eat." Rochelle muttered. Her voice broke at uneven intervals and Nick wondered if Rochelle had been crying all night.

Nick didn't answer… memories of the day before were finally penetrating his unwilling mind. The rollercoaster and the smoker yanking Ellis off… he hadn't even shown any signs of being alive then but Nick hadn't allowed himself to even consider the alternative. And then he had been sent to shut the alarm off… he hadn't even considered that that might be the last time he would ever see Ellis – and he wasn't going to start believing it now. Then the hunter… and then it had all gone black.

Was it his fault that Ellis hadn't been saved?

Nick sat down on the bed. What difference did it make anyway? Other than the fact they were one man down and that meant Nick had to do that much more work Nick shouldn't even care about the stupid mechanic. Ellis wasn't anything to Nick; not of any importance except to protect his back. So why did the prospect of no longer having Ellis around leave a black hole in the center of his heart and leave him feeling cold? This shouldn't be happening; shouldn't be affecting him.

"So what's our plan now?" Nick put his poker-face in place; hiding the warring emotions going on in his head and his heart.

"Not sure yet." Coach answered. Nick hadn't even realized that Coach was awake.

"Well we better start planning, else we end up as a zombie meal too." Nick said. Even to him his voice sounded callused and bitter.

"Nick, what the hell is wrong with you?" Rochelle shouted, staring Nick down. Now Nick wouldn't meet Rochelle's eyes.

"Leave him be, Rochelle. Out of all of his, it's probably hitting him the hardest." Coach whispered the last part but Nick still heard him.

"No. That's not how it works Coach. We All loved Ellis. Nick isn't hurting any more than you or me; that is if he's hurting at all." Rochelle argued, keeping her voice level and smooth. It surprised Nick that Rochelle could regain composure as easily as that.

"I don't care what happens to any of us, really." Nick muttered, staring blankly at a wall. "I'd just rather fight then go down sitting on my ass."

The look that Rochelle gave Nick could have frozen anyone in their tracks. Nick didn't so much as blink, locking all of his emotions into a box and letting Rochelle's dark gaze slide over him.

"In the end, it's the same." Nick went on, trying to convince himself more than anyone. "Either you make it out alive, or you don't… and regardless if anyone else does, the survivors should keep on surviving."

"Unfortunately -and you'll rarely hear me say this- but Nick has a point. There ain't nothing we can do for Ellis now… we need to move on or put his death in vain." Coach had put the power of his leadership into his voice.

"Ellis' death was in vain. We hadn't been gaining anything running on those tracks." Rochelle muttered.

"If you want to say something, say it. Don't do that shit of beating around the bush." Nick knew he sounded defensive… but honestly, he had been thinking the same thing.

"I don't have anything else to say to you." Rochelle stormed out of the room, slamming doors as she went.

"I'm going to go see what I can come up with for future plans…" Coach said, and left.

Nick growled to himself… wanting to get back out into the fight for his life. Maybe the adrenaline rush would take away this sick feeling in his stomach. He decided to go lounge on a nearby, beaten and battered couch while he tried to find some way to take his mind off of everything. When he sat down a lump in his pocket annoyingly made itself known. Nick tore whatever it was out of his pocket, ready to heave it across the room but he paused when he saw what it was. The stupid little teddy bear with a red heart balloon grinned up at him with black button eyes.

"Overalls…" Nick scrubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm. He would not cry… not over some dumb mechanic. Nick could feel his heart corroding away as his doubt for Ellis' survival cemented itself a little more into his mind. He fought down the sob that was slowly strangling him, flinching as a tear hit his hand.

Nick studied the stuffed toy with blurry eyes, each blink sending a streak traveling down his cheek. He took a deep breath. He would not do this; not for that stupid kid. Nick was going to live, or go down fighting… and the death of some mindless hillbilly was not going to bring him down. Ellis didn't matter… He never did matter. And he definitely wouldn't matter anymore.

As if to cement the words he though, Nick threw the teddy bear across the room. It hit the wall and fell with a barely audible thud but the sound tore a new gash in Nick's heart. He stared at the bear in wonder before glaring. He got up, having every intention to just leave the bear there. It didn't work that way… something within him forced him to go pick the bear up, brush it off, and put it safely back in his pocket.

"Are you ready to go Nick?" Coach asked when he noticed Nick walk into the room.

"No… we can't leave yet." Nick said, turning to find somewhere else to hang out.

"Why?" Coach quizzed.

'Well isn't that obvious?' Nick asked himself mentally. "I've got to clean my guns." Nick lied. He was really thinking 'maybe if Ellis had a little more time, he would find them.' Nick figured that since Coach and Rochelle didn't actually see Ellis die he had no real basis to believe that Ellis was dead.

"Your guns are fine and you said yourself we need to get a move on." Coach argued, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Yeah well-" Nick was cut off by a loud rumble. Everyone tensed, freezing shivers rolling down each of the survivor's spines. Nick and Coach crouched behind the counter and Rochelle crawled in to join them. Coach held a finger to his lips, asking for silence as the Tank lumbered by. Nick really doubted their chances in defeating the monster without the help from the ever cheerful mechanic. Nick found it almost funny how he could think of Ellis as still being there…

But he was still there. Nick wasn't allowing himself to think Ellis dead… that's just not how it worked. Ellis was fine… he had to be. Nick didn't know why he had to be; considering he couldn't give a shit about what happened to the stupid kid... he just knew Ellis had to be ok.

Rochelle and Coach sat silently and Nick wondered what was running through their minds as the tank once again lumbered by. He watched them both turn blue as they held their breath. It wasn't until the tank rumbled on that Nick realized he had been holding his breath too.

"Are you still in a hurry to leave?" Nick said, brushing off the sudden terror and pulling on his cool and collected self.

"I'm not really planning on dying… so no. Looks like we'll be staying here for the day." Coach glared at Nick. Leave it to Nick to make a bad situation even more annoying.

"Well then, I will be in the other room if you need me. Try not to need me." Nick breezed by them easily.

Rochelle watched Nick leave, tempted to punch the smug look off his face. How could he behave like that when Ellis was dead? Maybe it was just his way of coping… but Rochelle was honestly starting to believe that Nick hadn't really cared about Ellis. If anything it had probably been more of a game to him.

"Oh Ellis… you chose a really shitty time to leave us." Rochelle murmured, looking skyward.

"Amen." Coach finished… "Alright Rochelle, time to get down to planning. This set back is going to be a pain but maybe we can use it to our advantage…."

In the other room Nick sat on the couch, trying to school his thoughts but they inevitably kept wandering back to Ellis… He didn't even realize when he began to drift off… his eyes closing lazily and then he was gone.

"Overalls? See I told them you were ok!" Nick said, joyfully running towards the young mechanic.

"Overalls?" Nick didn't like that Ellis hadn't even responded to him. As he got closer he felt horror spread through his veins. "Hey.. Kid?" Nick reached out to Ellis. Ellis turned on him then and Nick felt sick as he took in the sight. There were bite marks all over Ellis… his baby blues where blank white… his fingers had elongated into the massive claws of a hunter.

Ellis groaned, blinking in confusion before his eyes locked on Nick. He settled into a crouch, a low grumble coming from deep in his throat.

"Oh Shit!" Nick searched for a weapon... there was nothing on him and nothing nearby. "SHIT!" Nick turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. Of course it was more or less common knowledge that you can't really outrun a Hunter and Ellis was on Nick in less than a minute.

"Ellis! Ellis No! Come on Kid… ELLIS!" Nick screamed as he felt the first deep cut set into his back from the massive claws Ellis now wielded.

"Ya left me ta die Nick… You Left Me. 's yer fault 'm Dead. 'S all yer fault!" Ellis voice came out more like a growl... but the message came through loud and clear.

"That's not true! It's not true! Ellis, Please!" Nick begged but Ellis didn't listen. His claws dug deeper and deeper until Nick knew he was going to die no matter what.

"Ellis… I'm so sorry Kid…."

Nick sat up quickly, sweat sliding off of him in streams. He could feel his sky rocketing heartbeat in his throat and nearly jumped as a voice nearby spoke to him.

"Nick, are you doing ok?" Rochelle asked. She set a hand on Nick's shoulder, only flinching slightly at the feel of his shirt soaked with sweat.

"I'm fine." Nick grumbled, realizing it had been a bad dream. Why did the kid have to haunt him even when he wasn't around? By the time he got his heart rate under control his sweat had turned icy.

"Are you sure? Coach and I heard you scream…"

Nick felt his face flush with embarrassment. Usually he had better control then that.

"It was just a bad dream." Nick muttered sullenly.

Rochelle watched the conman wearily. He had been crying out for Ellis… and begging him… about something. She wasn't sure what because she could only hear Nick's side of the conversation. From the way Nick had been screaming whatever he had dreamed was more a horrific nightmare than 'just a bad dream.'

Deciding there was nothing more she could do to help Rochelle left the room. She strode back to Coach where their plans lay scattered. She had become frantic at Nick's scream and had knocked everything to the floor in her rush to get to him. She would have attempted to wake him up earlier but felt that Nick needed to ride that dream out when she heard the name Ellis fall from his lips. Maybe it would help him come to terms with his feelings… too bad that it was too little too late.

"Overalls…" Nick murmured to himself, putting a hand in his pocket. His heart ached as he took the cheap little teddy bear out of his pocket and held it close. Nick stayed like that for a long time; his heart hurt too much to sleep yet he had no energy to accomplish anything else.

Rochelle and Coach watched as Nick slowly fell apart at the seams. Whenever Ellis was brought up both noticed that Nick never actually admitted Ellis was dead. He didn't even take the time to be snarky or cynical anymore… Rochelle was beginning to fear that the Nick they knew had died with Ellis and what was left was barely a shell of a man.

"Maybe it's for the best… he's a lot more compliant now." Coach suggested quietly as they prepared to set off from the safe house.

"That sort of thing will never be for the better." Rochelle growled. How could Coach be taking it so lightly.

"Well… I don't really see what you're getting so worked up about. He's just moping… he'll get over it soon enough."

"He'll 'get over it?' Have you gotten over it then Coach? Moved on?"

"Hey now, weren't you the one saying that he doesn't hurt from the loss any more than either of us?" Coach was defensive now.

"I was asking if you're ok with Ellis being gone now…" Rochelle knew that she wasn't…

Nick overheard the last bit and was tempted to shout 'He's Not Gone!' but if Rochelle and Coach were going to give up that easily, far be it from him to argue.

Rochelle gave Coach a look that clearly stated 'this-is-not-over.' Coach just shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Nick had dark rings around his eyes and even standing upright there was something about him that just seemed hunched and crippled.

"Hi Nick… how are you doing?" Rochelle said sweetly. At times like this she really wanted to use a pet name like Sweety or Honey on Nick but the last time she had Nick had told her point blank that he wasn't Ellis.

Nick's response was to look at her, eyes studying hers before giving a slight nod in recognition and in answer.

"Coach and I were just talking about heading out. Are you ready to go?"

What Nick really wanted to say was 'No, I want to wait here for Ellis." Instead he just shrugged and grabbed his guns and a health kit.

When everyone was ready Coach kicked the door down and the trio stormed out. The first shot almost dragged Nick from the depths of his despair… but not seeing the mechanic running ahead like he had always done shut down any hopes of his escape.

Nick had a war going on in his mind. One side of him said there was no point in living without Ellis and that he should just give up and die now… and yet another part of him argued what was Ellis to him? Nobody of importance… so Nick should just get on with his life and should quit thinking about that dumb hick of a kid.

Not wanting to die just yet Nick listened to the second voice. He shouldn't care about Ellis… he needed to move on… Nick numbly shot down any approaching zombies, not really paying attention to anything but his attempt to block Ellis from his mind. As much as he believed that Ellis was alive, without the Kid there to prove it seeds of doubt implanted themselves in Nick's mind and heart.

Nick had never believed it possible for Ellis to be taken down… Shooting down a zombie about to tackle Coach he wondered how far they would even make it without Ellis on their team. At that thought Nick's dream came rushing back… had Ellis become a zombie?

Somewhere very nearby, Ellis had finally awoken.


	10. Keep Going but For What?

This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I only got stuck a couple of times… plus I just really like this chapter It just.. it was like it all just kinda came to me as I brainstormed and all of a sudden I was done XD Only problem is the moment I finished it my internet decided it was going to crash. What a pain… so I'll get this up just as soon as my internet cooperates with me again. I hope you enjoy anyway

Chapter 10

"Well this sucks." Nick mumbled as he found himself back in the snack shack safe house.

"It could be worse." Rochelle mentioned softly.

"Feel free to go fight the tank if you wish." Coach whispered angrily, gesturing at the door.

"I think I'll pass." Nick said. It seemed as if his snarkiness had begun to return but Rochelle believed it to be Nick's auto drive kicking in. The best gamblers not only could hold a good poker face, but could also act in other ways to get their opponents to believe what may or may not be true. By the way Nick acted Rochelle believed him to be a very, _very_ talented gambler.

"How long are we going to have to wait here?" Rochelle hissed at Coach, even less pleased than Nick at their lack of progress.

"Only as long as it takes to figure a way around that Tank. Just be glad it hasn't spotted us yet!" Coach growled. He felt a little abashed that both his comrades seemed to be against him.

"I guess you have a point Coach…" Rochelle muttered apologetically. Nick just rolled his eyes.

"Well if you guys could wake me when we're heading out…" Nick's voice was cool collection, dripping with his usual dose of sarcasm and loaded with confidence. Of course, that's not how Nick was actually feeling… Turmoil filled his mind and he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. If Ellis had been alive, wouldn't he have found them by now? Maybe he just skipped that safe house… but if that was indeed the case… would he ever see Ellis again? Would Ellis be able to survive on his own…?

Nick stretched out on the couch he had become so familiar with. He tried to pull his outer peace within himself but he was a shell… if he succeeded in pulling the calm into the black hole within himself then he would truly have nothing; he would truly be nothing.

The couch was soft -as far as couch's go- and Nick sank right into the cushions, allowing him-self to relax even if his inner thoughts were at war. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to listen to the battle of his two warring selves.

-You're getting yourself hung up over some stupid hick of a bastard… and you're going to get yourself killed because of it.

*Ellis has saved our ass a number of times… It's a bastard's move to not at least worry a little about him…

-You've never worried about anyone but yourself before… It's how you survived… Alone.

*But Ellis has shown me what it means to watch someone's back… the least I can do is watch his too.

-You need to get this through your stubborn ass skull: Ellis is dead! He's not around anymore and you need to let him go.

*Shut up! That is not true you fucking Motherfucker!

-Fucking Motherfucker? My, my, my Nick… you are losing your touch.

*….

-The silent treatment just means that I win.

*…..Ellis is important whether you're willing to admit it or not.

-Why admit something that's both irrelevant and untrue?

*You are delusional to believe Ellis' importance to us being either irrelevant or untrue.

A thunderous crash broke Nick from his almost epiphany.

"What the hell was that?!" Nick shouted in surprise.

"It… sounded like… do I dare to say?" Rochelle murmured to herself. An idea snapped into Nick's mind at this… and even if it was farfetched he was going to act on it.

"ELLIS!" Nick shouted, running outside. Tanks are huge… so even at a distance one falling down is going to shake the ground for a couple miles… so where could the kid be?

"Nick! Get back in here! What if the tank comes back?!" Rochelle and Coach each grabbed an arm and drug Nick back inside the safe house just as a zombie wave came running.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME!" Nick shouted. "ELLIS!"

"Stop it Nick!" Rochelle said as they shoved Nick down on a couch.

"Ellis is gone! We've told you that!"

Nick growled, wanting to tear Coach and Rochelle to pieces for standing in his way. Strangely, it wasn't the first time he had ever felt like that.

"What the Hell do you think that Crashing was?!" Nick shouted, trying to sound reasonable but just sounding insane.

"Well it could have been…" Rochelle wanted to admit she thought what Nick was thinking… It was reasonable to conclude the crash was from a tank… and who else could take out a Tank but Ellis? But no… Ellis was dead. Rochelle knew it, and Coach knew it… Nick needed to accept it too.

"Look Nick, the kid is dead... and no amount of wishing and denial is going to bring him back. Ellis would want you to make it out alive… and he wouldn't want you to die because of him, so-" Coach was rudely cut off by Nick.

"Who the Hell said I was Going to Die for that Good for Nothing Fucking Imitation of some Redneck Hillbilly Cowboy? Because I want to find that person and Wring their Fucking Necks. I don't care about Ellis!" Nick's switch from one extreme to the next caught even him off guard but he stood by his words regardless.

"So that wasn't you screaming out Ellis' name as you ran out the door?" Rochelle murmured. They had been able to release Nick by now. He sat straight backed and tense; it seemed like every muscle in his body was twitching.

Nick had no ingenious response to Rochelle's observation so he sat, staring at the door. His foot tapped nervously, thumping an uneven, hyper pattern into the ground. Coach had been stunned into silence at Nick's outburst… Did Nick really believe that? Or was he trying to put on a face so that he could believe that Coach and Rochelle hadn't caught onto his feelings. Had Nick, himself, caught onto his feelings yet?

"Ellis… we need to go get him…" Nick muttered, flipping back. It was like the two selves that had been warring earlier kept taking turns controlling his actions. "He may be hurt… he took down the tank but he may be hurt…"

"I think the boy has lost it." Coach said, finally finding his voice. Rochelle glared at Coach before looking Nick in the eye.

"It may not have been the tank Nick… it may have been a building giving way or something akin to that." Rochelle explained reasonably. She spoke softly, hoping not to get too much of an uproar from Nick.

"You know you think it's a tank too Rochelle. You and I can go save him… Coach can stay here… its ok, he doesn't have to come."

At this point, Rochelle was starting to believe Coach's words. Maybe Nick had finally lost it. Switching from one opinion to another without any warning…. What if losing Ellis was causing Nick to go insane. Sure.. there had been a loud crash but there was no proof that it was a tank… and even less proof that anyone had taken down a tank…

"I'm sorry Nick… we can't do that. You know we can't." Rochelle murmured soothingly. She hated talking down to Nick but in his state she didn't know what else to do.

"I can.. I don't need you. I don't need Coach… I just need Ellis…" Nick whispered.

"Now Nick… you can't go getting yourself killed on some whim." Coach shook his head. He was really starting to worry about Nick, as much as a pain the boy was.

"The Hell I would." Nick mumbled. "I'm not going to get myself killed over Ellis. I don't even like him. Why would I risk my life for him?!" Nick's voice rose and fell with emphasis.

"You're the one wanting to search for him… even though we know he's dead… even though it's impossible; you ran out the door screaming his name and wanting to go in search of him." Rochelle muttered darkly. They were talking in circles.

"I know he's dead. It doesn't matter to me. Just tell me when we can move on." Nick turned his back on the other two. Something died in Nick with those words. He let a kind of numbing darkness sink over him as he shut Coach and Rochelle out.

Rochelle and Coach could tell the conversation was over so they left the room, glad that Nick would have to go through them before reaching the door.

"God, what the Hell is wrong with him?" Rochelle cried out angrily.

"Maybe he's still coping?" Coach said. He almost laughed as he realized that it was almost like he and Rochelle had switched positions. Usually she was explaining things to him. Apparently, she noticed the same thing.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"

"I felt it answered your question.. more or less."

"A question with another question… That's really getting us places." Rochelle muttered darkly.

"Better than not making any progress…"

"I think we're back tracking… and that _is_ worse than making no progress."

As Rochelle and Coach bickered back and forth and tried to figure out what their next step would be, Nick's thoughts wandered.

-See? You knew he was dead… don't you feel better admitting it?

*….

-Don't be like that. Accept his fate as he accepted others.

*Bad shit happens to good people…

The last thought was an echo at the back of Nick's mind as his hope of Ellis' survival died. Coach and Rochelle were right. There was no way Ellis had survived… and whether that was a Tank or not was no longer relevant. Nothing was relevant anymore.

-See… I told you Ellis didn't matter.

*I didn't say that.

-You didn't have to.

Nick was sick with both voices now… it hadn't taken him long to figure out which voice was which… His voice from the past and his voice from now battling it out to figure out who Nick really was anymore. Now he knew… and yet it didn't matter. Who he was… without Ellis… was one lost, black soul with no future and no reason to live.

"Whether that was really the Tank or not… we should be ok heading out now. We haven't heard the tank in a long while." Coach discussed with Rochelle. They had concluded that bickering was getting them nowhere.

"Are you ready to head out Nick?" Rochelle asked. She felt her heart sink to her feet at Nick's expression… his eyes… were blank.

"Nick?" She asked again. His gaze locked with her's; dark shadow's under his eyes suddenly standing out starkly against his pale skin. He did not respond… he stood, adjusting his gun and hatchet and moving only to follow Rochelle out of the door.

Rochelle watched as Nick swung his hatchet.. not blindly but without real thought either. If she had thought he was on auto drive before… well she was realizing now just how wrong she was. Nick was now absolutely and completely lost in himself.

Rochelle and Coach took more damage than usual as they watched out for Nick while they also fought to keep the zombies off of themselves. It also didn't help that they were one man down… one man that was the equivalent of two or three no less.

Coach was furious on the inside with Nick's behavior. You'd think he'd lost his soul-mate or some such nonsense. As dangerous as it was, the thought made Coach pause for a second. He didn't believe in that crap… but maybe it did explain what was going on with Nick. Coach shook it off… Nick was just being some sissy of a sob story. To think there was one point in time in which Coach found Nick… admirable as much as he was insufferable. Now Coach just looked down on the husk of a man… turns out he was just tough words after all.

Rochelle paused to reload, shouting her predicament to the other to. Coach loyally covered her back while Nick more or less helped. He shot down zombies as well, but he came close to hitting Rochelle and Coach a couple of times.

Panic flooded through Rochelle as she lost sight of Coach and Nick. She shouted to the two. Coach responded a few moments later. The volume of his voice showed that he wasn't too far away from Rochelle. Nick however remained silent.

"Goddamn you Nick." Rochelle cursed, slamming down zombies as she searched for the infuriating conman.

"Coach, do you see Nick?" Rochelle called, shooting down nearby zombies. As her search turned a little more frantic, zombies were able to get closer to her before she was able to actually shoot them down.

"No, sorry." Coach said. He wondered if maybe it would be better if the infected put Nick out of his misery once and for all. He found it funny… how in the past Nick's motto would be 'I haven't come this far to die now.' Now, without Ellis, he had just given up. Even without knowing that his wife had made it, Coach was still fighting on.. why couldn't Nick? Granted he now knew Ellis was dead but that didn't mean anything in the long run. Even if Coach knew his wife didn't make it… he wouldn't give up. Maybe he was just a stronger person when all was said and done.

Rochelle caught a glimpse of white.

"Nick!"

Said gambler was on his knees, gun and hatchet dropped by his sides. His head was tilted back and tears ran down his face but she doubted if he noticed. Zombies were getting closer to him yet he made no move to fight back. He just sat there, shoulders slack with a look of defeat on his face.

Rochelle growled inwardly before she shot down any of the zombies nearby Nick. Luckily none had reached him quite yet. Well… they had been close enough to swipe at him but they hadn't actually started chowing down yet. Rochelle didn't know if she should count Nick lucky or not… would it not be better if it all ended for him now?

"Coach, he's over here!" Rochelle said as she finally reached Nick's side. He didn't seem to notice her presence. He hadn't moved a muscle at her approach.

"Is he still alive?" Coach shouted back as he fought his way over. At least there weren't too many zombies… just enough to keep them all on their toes.

"Yes." Rochelle said as she hoisted half of Nick's weight on her shoulders.

"Bitten?" Coach asked as he took the other side.

"I don't think so." Rochelle answered as they dragged Nick along. Tears still ran in a steady stream down his face. Without the movement of his chest Coach and Rochelle would have called him dead. He refused to support any of his own weight, lying completely slack between the two of them. Between dragging Nick and keeping the zombies off of them Coach and Rochelle were exhausted by the time a safe house came into sight.

"Oh thank the good Lord." Coach said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"We're almost there, honey." Rochelle slipped, the pet name just falling without thought. Nick didn't seem to care… or at least he didn't show it if he did. Rochelle wondered if he had even heard her.

Rochelle dragged Nick all the way through the door as Coach shut and locked it. It was a beaten down shack, very dark and damp.

"Where's the light switch?" Rochelle panted slightly, fatigued from carrying Nick.

"Right here." Coach said, flipping the light. All three survivors were more than a little shocked at the sight.

"Ellis…..?" Nick whispered hoarsely, crawling over to an old, beat up couch where an even more beat up mechanic lay. He was cut up and worse for wear but Nick could see his chest rising and falling.

"Ellis….?" Nick whispered again, not believing his eyes. "Ellis? You're alive?" Nick could hardly allow himself to believe it considering he had just given in to the thought of Ellis being dead. He received no response but that didn't surprise him; from the looks of it Ellis was fast asleep.

"Oh My God! Ellis!" Rochelle ran over with her med kit. She was ready to break open the supplies but a suddenly-very-aware Nick snatched the bag from her. Just as Nick was about to set to work Ellis' eyes flew open.

"NO MORE!" He screamed. Rochelle's heart tore where-as Nick and Coach were startled so badly that Nick fell back and Coach's jaw dropped.

"Shhhhh… shhhhhh… Doctor Nick is here now." Nick whispered soothingly, cleansing Ellis' pretty serious wounds. Ellis started unseeing for a moment before his gaze fell on Nick. He stared for a moment before his eyes slid to Rochelle and then Coach.

"Nick?" He whispered unsurely.

"Right here." Nick murmured. Even with the shock Rochelle noticed how Nick had made a 360 at the appearance of Ellis. Going from an empty shell to a caring person in the split moment it took for him to realize that it was Ellis. Rochelle would never understand the complicated mind of the gambler.

"I thoughtcha left me. I thought y'all were dead… or tha' you had left me there ta die. I wasn' sure which." Ellis sat up slowly, much to Nick's annoyance. He continued cleaning wounds regardless, deciding it would be best not to argue.

"I can't believe it… I can't believe you're alright!" Rochelle cried out. She wanted to give Ellis a hug but with 'Doctor' Nick in the way.. she figured she could always give him a hug later. He was alive… she couldn't believe it… he was actually alive. Her next question disturbed her but nonetheless intrigued her… How was he alive?

"Where have y'all been?" Ellis whispered, looking very much like a lost puppy.

"Thinking you were dead." Coach said honestly.

"Why'd you leave me?" Ellis sounded really hurt, especially when his gaze fell on Nick.

"Before you start thinking anything, Nick didn't have a say in the matter." Rochelle explained quickly. "He was sent to shut off the alarm while Coach and I were supposed to cover you. We ran out of ammo and Nick hadn't returned… he had been knocked unconscious by a Hunter. I'm sorry Ellis… we thought you were dead. You hadn't moved at all after you got dragged off of the Coaster and… we thought you were dead."

Ellis looked at Rochelle and then Coach in shock and his expression showed how hurt he was.

"I thoughtcha knew me better than tha'." Ellis shook his head in mock disapproval before showing a smile that made the other three survivor's hearts ache.

"For the record, Nick never thought you were dead." Coach put in. Now that they had Ellis back and he was in fact alive both Rochelle and Coach thought Nick deserved his dues for never giving up. Even if he did give up at the very, very last…. But Rochelle had suspicions it was only really because she and Coach had finally convinced him.

"Really Nick?" Ellis' eyes were ablaze with a spark of light.

"Aren't you the one who always thinks you're invincible? Must've rubbed off on me." Nick's nonchalant attitude earned a real smile from Ellis. The mechanic gave the gambler a rib crushing hug.

"Man I missed you guys." Ellis said, ignoring the pain in his own sides as he finished embracing Nick.

"Well Nick definitely missed you." Coach said with a 'hint-hint, wink-wink.'

"Are ya sayin' you an' Ro' didn'?" Ellis' mouth formed a shocked O.

"That is not what I'm saying at all boy." Coach shook his head in exasperation, swaying with the over enthusiastic motion.

"Coach, are you ok?" Rochelle asked before feeling a tide of dizziness herself.

"You guys should heal up." Nick said, shrugging.

"You're a real bastard sometimes, Nick." Rochelle glowered, grabbing up Coach's med kit. She set to work patching Coach up while Nick sat and smirked at them.

"Only sometimes? Oh Rochelle, you hurt me." Nick said, placing his hand over his heart.

"Funny how you were ready to give up and die out there… and yet with Ellis back you return like he never left." Coach winced as Rochelle was a little rougher with the bandaging then she needed to be.

"Nick? Give up? You sure ya got the righ' guy?" Ellis asked, confused.

"Oh no, she's right. Without you Nick just wasn't himself…" Coach laughed at Nick's mortified expression. Teach him to mess with either Rochelle or Coach, especially right after they had saved his ass.

"Aw Nick, I knew tha' ya liked me!" Ellis grinned, giving Nick another hug. Nick rolled his eyes in irony... if only Ellis knew how much he cared.

"All three of you are mistaken. I was just upset about losing a gun to protect my ass." Nick said but even he heard how false that sounded. Well… he had given it a shot.

"How'd you guys find me anyway?" Ellis suddenly asked, releasing Nick. Nick rechecked the bandaging to make sure that Ellis hadn't messed them up with his annoying show of affection.

"Well… we had left the snack shack we had been staying in and about 2 thirds the way here, Nick fell to his knees and gave up. He just stopped fighting." Rochelle said softly.

"We had to carry him because he wouldn't move at all." Coach growled with irritation. "And by the time we saw this safe house we were exhausted… so we called it good for the day and headed in. To think… if Nick had been on his game we would have probably passed this place up."

Ellis' expression had darkened at Coach's words. He looked down, his eyes hidden beneath his cap. Nick almost snickered, realizing that the kid still had his godforsaken hat. He didn't however, as the cold feeling of emptiness re-entered his mind. He shivered involuntarily, realizing he really had been losing himself. He had given up… he had been ready to die… Amazing the effect Ellis had on him.

"Ellis… how did you escape?" Rochelle asked softly. Ellis' gaze flew to her's in shock.

"I… don' really know ta be honest." Ellis was staring at the ground. "I r'member the coaster… and the smoker… and then it was black for awhile. Then all uva sudden I woke up in a safe house… and I f'gured y'all had saved me. But I was alone…. So I left the safe house to go lookin' for you guys an ran inta a Tank. Tank's dead now."

"Is that how you got all these wounds?" Nick asked, poking and prodding at Ellis' wide array of injuries. He had bruises in every color of the discolored rainbow and so many welts and cuts that Nick was surprised the kid hadn't passed out from pain. Realizing he could help a little he pulled out a new thing of pills he had found recently… although he couldn't quite remember where.

"Yep. I was purdy unscathed when I woke up the firs' time."

"How is that though?" Rochelle pondered. "There were still so many zombies when Coach and I ran out of ammo… you don't even have any bite marks?"

"Nope! I had like a coupla scratches an' my back was bruised up real good and hurt pretty bad but other 'an tha' I was doin' jus' fine."

"Someone had to have saved you…" Coach mused out loud.

"I reckon it's possible. I didn' see no one though… I haven' seen any livin' person since you guys… I still can't believe y'all jus' up an' left me." Ellis didn't mind so much anymore though. Nick really did care about him and Nick didn't give up on him until the last minute. It disturbed Ellis that when Nick did give up on him… he was ready to die. Ellis really didn't like that thought.

"Coach and I are going to go get some rest." Rochelle said as she stood. She knew exactly what she was doing but she also needed sleep and so did Coach who had been nodding off.

"Alrighty." Ellis grinned, waving. He was just glad to be with his group again… he didn't like fighting alone… it was like with no one to show off for it almost wasn't worth it. It still had been kind of fun killing the zombies though.

"Ellis…" Nick said softly.

"Goodness Nick, haven' heard ya use my actual name in a long time." Ellis said light heartedly. His name weighed him down when Nick said it… Nick never used his name so him using it now means something serious was about to go down… or maybe it already had.

"You really are a pain, Overalls." Nick said, snatching Ellis' hat and ruffling his hair.

"Nick… we've been over this. They are coveralls…" Ellis said with fake exasperation. He collapsed back on the couch, pretending to be weary and worn out. Nick rolled his eyes but had a smile in place nonetheless.

"Anyway, Overalls," Nick started again, "I just wanted you to know… I'm glad you're ok. Things were pretty empty and dull without you around." Nick pulled the teddy bear out of his pocket to show Ellis that he still had it. The way Ellis' face lit up was worth it for Nick. Ellis followed suit by pulling Nick's book out of his pocket.

"You still have that?" Nick's eyebrow arched in his shock. He shook his head, very entertained by the brainless redneck.

"Duh. I still have my book, too." Elis said as if it should have been expected. Ellis was overjoyed that Nick still had the teddy bear Ellis had gotten for him. It sent his heart on a happy rampage.

"And Nick?" Ellis put the book back in his pocket before reaching out for one of Nick's hands.

"Yes, Sport?" Nick asked. He had noticed Ellis' smoldering gaze and how naturally he had slipped his hand into Nick's.

"I missed you, too." He gently ran his free hand down the side of Nick's face. Nick closed his eyes, his breath catching in his throat. Shocks were sent through his system at Ellis' touch and Nick could almost feel himself falling forward.

Nick contemplated where this was heading as he regarded Ellis' lips… so close, so very close. He noticed Ellis doing the same to him, inching forward. Nick could feel his heart pound as they came very close to closing the distance. He could feel Ellis' breath against his lips and the calloused fingers tangled into his hair. Ellis locked gazes with him, beautiful blue staring into mesmerizing green. Nick moved a hand to Ellis' hip so that he was more stable and closed his eyes to lean in-

But it wasn't meant to be. Of course Coach came in at that moment, searching the Kitchen for something to eat. Unfortunately the Kitchen and the Living room were the same room, no walls or doors in between… so when Coach came in and noticed Nick and Ellis' position and they noticed him they both jumped back. Coach scrutinized both of them before turning his back and searching the fridge for edible food. He found a bag of chocolate chips and a loaf of bread. He slammed the fridge shut before sitting down at the table to munch on his snack where he could watch Ellis and Nick.

Nick glared at him, feeling the heat flushed across his face. Of course Coach just had to ruin the moment. Nick's eyes widened as he realized what was just about to happen. His shocked gaze met Ellis' who's expression was just as startled; eyes as wide as saucers and face pale except for the bright red blush that had spread across his cheeks.

Coach cleared his throat noisily, shortening the fuse on Nick's already short temper.

"Ellis, are you hungry or anything?" Nick ground out, ready to get revenge on Coach. As much as he was glad for the interruption… he wasn't. He needed to get whatever infatuation he was having with Ellis out of his system. The longer he waited the worse it was going to be…

"Now that you mention it…" Ellis said softly. Nick's anger was brushed aside as he tried not to laugh at Ellis' expression. His stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. "Yeah, something ta eat would be good."

"Alright. I was feeling a little hungry too, so I'll just make us both something." Nick decided what better to dissipate his anger but with something productive? He headed over to a door that looked like a pantry and looked inside.

"How does Beef Ravioli sound?" Nick asked as he pulled out a couple cans.

"Food is food." Ellis said, shrugging. At Nick's look he added, "But Ravioli sounds especially good!"

Nick smiled and nodded. Sometimes it felt like he knew Ellis like the back of his hand… a puppet on strings and Nick had control. But then there were other moments where Ellis was like a total stranger and Nick didn't know whether to stand and fight or run away. He opened the two cans and got the propane burning.

"Nick…. Where are we anyways? This building?" Ellis asked as he looked around, finding that there was something similar to a house in an amusement park confusing.

"It's kind of resting place for tired employees. You know, for lunch breaks and dinner breaks and so on." Nick explained, taking a wild guess himself. He left the Ravioli to heat, taking a seat next to Ellis' feet on the couch.

"So are you going to tell me how you took down the Tank?" Nick asked, trying to get Ellis' attention off of the grumpy Coach sitting in the other room and his hunger.

"Uh, Sure!" Ellis was suddenly enthusiastic and Nick figured his goal was accomplished. "So it was a lil while after I had headed out tha' I ran inta it. Big ugly thing, too." Ellis used expressions and gestures to animate the story a little more. Nick watched while he talked, making sure not to let the Ravioli burn but keeping most of his attention on Ellis.

"It saw me first an' almos' got me with a Chevy Truck! Man it was fun dodgin' that!" Nick could almost see the scene and Ninja Ellis dodging the airborne truck.

"Once I noticed it though, I was ready. I lit a Molotov and tossed it at it but then it got real mad and tried charging me down. Even with my back bein' all sore I was still able to out run it… though it was kinda hard havin' to dogde stuff when the Tank could run right through." Nick watched a spot crease between Ellis' eyebrows as the mechanic realized how unfair the whole thing really was.

"Hey Ace… you going to finish the story or are you going to leave me hanging?" Nick asked, snapping Ellis out of his reverie.

"Oh, right," Ellis said sheepishly, "Anyways! I was runnin' an shootin' an' I ended up circlin' like the same place over an' over. I got ahead of the Tank enough that I could hide behind a car as it ran past then I jumped up on the hood and shot it in the back of the head. It wasn' a complete clean shot but it brought the monster down. Man… the crash like Echoed!"

"I knew it." Nick mumbled underneath his breath. "So wait, how did you get so messed up?" Nick asked suddenly, realizing that Ellis' story had no injuries what so ever.

"Um… I may've left out tha' part…" Ellis had an 'I'm innocent' smile on his face.

"Overalls…" Nick warned as he shut the stove down and poured some of the ravioli into two bowls.

"Ok… so the Tank caught me once… an' threw me inta a car… an' a wall… an' a window…" Ellis said, staring at this hands. "An' the Tank may've actually caught me with a piece a road…"

"Is that all?" Nick said sarcastically. He handed Ellis the steaming bowl who smiled up at him appreciatively. Coach had finished his snack and replaced the remainders back in the fridge. He gave both boys a jaded look before heading back to the bed he and Rochelle had found. Both men ignored him.

"Yep, tha's pretty much it." Ellis said. "Well tha' an like righ' after I beat the Tank I got attacked by a swarm… musta been attracted by the crash."

"You are lucky to be alive." Nick mentioned as Ellis dug in.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Ellis waved a hand at his tongue. "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

"Sorry… I would have warned you but I thought that that was common sense." Nick shrugged. He hadn't touched his food yet, knowing with logic that it would burn his tongue if he did. Ellis rolled his eyes at Nick. Regaining his composure after a glass of cool water Ellis looked at Nick seriously.

"I know tha' I'm lucky to still be aroun.' Lotsa scary an' bad things h'ppened but I still made it through, right?"

"Yeah… getting dragged off of a coaster by a smoker, being attacked by a swarm while you were down, waking up in a place you didn't know, fighting a tank, and then getting attacked by another swarm… that's some pretty serious shit Ellis. Am I leaving anything out?"

"Tha' I had ta do it all alone." Ellis whispered. Nick patted Ellis on the shoulder, wishing he could have been there for Ellis… well at least he was here now.

"I'm really sorry Ace." Nick murmured. "You'll have more to tell Keith about though! At least this way you can tell him you could survive without anyone else!"

Ellis leaned against Nick, checking to see if Nick would allow it. When Nick hadn't made a move to shove Ellis away he rested his head on Nick's shoulder and took a deep breath.

"It's going to be awfully hard for you to eat your food that way." Nick observed, grinning to himself at how cute Ellis was being. Part of him wanted to mentally slap him-self for the thought but… he was too happy to pay it any mind. And if part of him was having trouble with just the thought, it would have gone Ape-Shit crazy at his next idea.

"Well Nick, I jus'-" Ellis was trying to explain but couldn't find the right words. Nick had a mischievous look on his face as he grabbed Ellis' bowl and set it down on a table nearby.

"Nick?..." Ellis said, looking a little confused. His expression changed quickly to a stunned blush as Nick readjusted Ellis' position so that Ellis was now sitting on Nick's lap, his head resting on Nick's left shoulder. Nick also snagged Ellis' hat, setting it on the armrest of the couch.

"This should be at least a little better." Nick was completely unabashed. He slid his arms around Ellis' waist and nuzzled Ellis' neck softly. He snickered as Ellis shivered; his only regret was not being able to see Ellis' face clearly. He could easily tell how red Ellis' face was though, by how red his ears were… Nick really wanted to nibble on Ellis' ear at that moment but refrained, not wanting to scare the kid away. Too bad the moment had been ruined earlier… he could have probably had the kid _very_ happy and content by now.

Ellis tried to stay still, feeling a little awkward on Nick's lap. He could feel Nick's muscled thighs beneath his own and he fought to keep his thoughts PG rated… lest Nick know how much of an affect he had on Ellis.

"Did you want me to feed you? Or do you think you can eat without burning your tongue?" Nick asked, resting his forehead on Ellis' shoulder. Ellis grinned, finally catching onto Nick's game.

"I'm thinkin' I'll be ok now. Thanks." Ellis picked up one of Nick's hands and kissed the palm, catching Nick by surprise. Ellis just grinned, releasing Nick's hand and reaching forward to grab his Ravioli. He began eating; noticing but trying not to react to the small fact that Nick had his hands resting on Ellis' hips.

Nick had to fight moving his hands from Ellis' hips. He wanted to run his hands over all the muscles in Ellis' back. He knew, however, if he did that he didn't know if he'd be able to prevent his hands from doing anything else. So Nick enjoyed the feeling of Ellis' well defined hips instead, trying to keep his thoughts in check so that things didn't get out of hand.

Ellis finished his bowl but noticed Nick hadn't even started eating. He looked at Nick, then at the bowl, then back at Nick.

"Aren'cha gonna eat?" Ellis asked, setting his bowl on the table then relaxing back into Nick's embrace.

"There are so many ways I could respond to that." Nick breathed, trying to keep his body under control. Having Ellis' warm weight so real in his arms was making his body react… already he could feel the blood head south. Ellis looked up at Nick, enjoying the feeling of being able to be close to Nick. He reached up and ran his fingers through Nick's hair before trailing it down Nick's stubbled cheek.

Nick was starting to lose the war of control, wanting to claim Ellis' lips in a passionate kiss. He closed his eyes at the sensations caused by Ellis as he stroked Nick's cheek slowly... sensually. Ellis gave Nick a peck on the cheek before his weight was gone from Nick's lap. Nick was dazed for a moment, and then lost shortly when he realized Ellis had left. Ellis took his bowl to the sink before coming back to sit on the couch. As tempted as he was to sit in Nick's lap again he wanted the conman to eat.

"Good God Nick, am I gonna hafta feed ya or somethin'?" Ellis asked in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. It hadn't passed his notice that Nick had stolen his hat _again._

"Would you?" Nick asked, giving Ellis a blazing look. Ellis sighed, looking vexed for a moment before he picked up Nicks bowl and offered him a forkful of Ravioli.

"Kid, I was kidding." Nick said, glad that Ellis had offered. He took hold of Ellis' hand, leading the fork to his mouth and taking the offered bite. Before Ellis could get another forkful Nick grabbed the bowl and fork and finished it himself. He had waited so long to eat that it had begun to turn cold.

"Any other beds in the place?" Nick asked as he took his own bowl to the sink.

"Only the one." Ellis explained. "An' the only other thing is the couch."

"Looks like I'll be sleeping on the floor." Nick grumbled to himself.

"Why?" Ellis sounded shocked. "The couch's big 'nough fer both uv us."

"I don't know about that…" Nick was skeptical as he sized the couch up.

Ellis had been right… it was big enough for both of them but just barely. Ellis was pressed all the way to the back of the couch and both men were lying on their sides. Ellis smiled sleepily, glad that Nick had given it a chance. He snuggled up to Nick, wrapping his arms around the conman and nuzzling his back fondly.

Ellis was actually fairly confused where his feelings came into play where Nick was concerned. When he had some distance from Nick his emotions warred with each other. On one hand he knew that Nick wasn't really the greatest guy… emphasis on that Nick was a _guy._ And yet… something about Nick made Ellis feel complete… Whenever Nick was around it didn't matter if part of Ellis revolted because the majority of Ellis was lost in Nick. It was definitely a problem in Ellis' eyes but he knew that leaving Nick was out of the question… he was ready to die after the Tank had pummeled him pretty good because he didn't have Nick there with him. He just didn't like the idea of going on without Nick…

Nick smiled to himself at Ellis' affection. He also scolded himself for allowing Ellis to get so close to him. The part of him that fought so avidly against liking Ellis had split into two parts: one part was the old Nick, the one who was strongly against being homosexual and knowing hillbilly rednecks; and yet the other part was worried about Ellis… the kid could do so much better than Nick and his dark past.

Nick decided to enjoy the moment given to him… and if Ellis wanted to play as well so much the better. Nick rolled over so that he was also facing Ellis. The space on the couch made it so that either Nick was a breath away from Ellis or he was no longer actually on the couch. Nick wrapped his arms around Ellis, pulling him even closer, and rested his chin gently on Ellis' head. Ellis breathed a sigh of contentment and he was soon fast asleep.

Looking at the dark ceiling, Nick smiled to himself. Even if this thing that was starting to blossom with Ellis wasn't able to last forever… Nick was blessed to have here and now with Ellis. Although… after thinking that he mentally slapped himself for being all 'sappy'… Nick was still grateful to have Ellis.

…

The next morning came swiftly. Nick and Ellis awoke fully rested despite the small quarters in which they had to sleep.

"Mornin' Sunshine." Ellis whispered teasingly. Nick rolled his eyes and Ellis found himself fascinated when the green eyes met his again… he could never actually pinpoint what color green Nick's eyes were. There were the moments where they were as cool and lifeless as a gem… and the moments where they would melt into a sexy molten jade… and the few moments where they're clouded and dark with some inner turmoil… and then the flat viridian that Ellis had realized came with Nick's poker-face. Right now they had a playful spark beneath them, lighting the green from within.

Nick stretched contentedly... until it shifted him into a position where he was sliding off the couch. Ellis noticed in time to catch a hold of Nick… but he lost his grip on the couch and they both fell to the floor with a thud.

"Well yer jus' a bonified genius." Ellis said, untangling his limbs from Nick's and getting up. He offered Nick a hand who took it more or less gratefully.

"You fell too." Nick grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"For you…" Ellis muttered under his breath. He said the words because they seemed to fit the moment… but once they had left his mouth he wondered just how true they were. Was it just some puppy crush he had for Nick? That he could live with… because in the end if he ever met up with Zoey again they could get married and settled down and everything would be perfect… but… if it was more than a Crush… well first of all what if Nick didn't return his feelings? I mean, sure Nick would mess around with him every now and then but Nick was Nick… who's to say he wouldn't just get tired and leave? Ellis didn't think his heart could survive that.

"Why so serious all of a sudden?" Nick was completely oblivious to both what Ellis had said and the mayhem in Ellis' head.

"Serious? Me? How hard did ya hit'cher head?" Ellis laughed, brushing off his morbid thoughts. Even so there was that darkness –that seed of doubt- lurking in the back of his mind.

"You're right… I don't know what I was thinking." Nick agreed, chuckling.

"Yeah… can't say stuff like tha'. It'll all go ta my head."

"God knows your ego does not need any help…"

"Hey now, yer sure one ta talk."

"Alright you two." Rochelle said as she came in, Coach on her heels. "We need to get ready to move out."

Ellis was snapped out of his good mood just like that. He knew he was going to have to face them again eventually… but he didn't know if he was quite ready for it again. Sure... it had been fun killing zombies but it was a real living nightmare when you were on your own. Even though Ellis had his teammates back he felt nauseous about going back out there so soon. He realized how much the zombie apocalypse really wasn't a game… being surrounded by grotesque faces with no humanity left in them.

"You ok?" Nick whispered to Ellis as they grabbed their guns and melee weapons. Nick had noticed how pale Ellis was looking, not to mention that the mechanic had completely clammed up.

"Yeah… Fine!" Ellis forced enthusiasm into his words, stretching his face into a smile. He didn't want Nick to think any less of him…

"Coach, give me a minute ok? I need to find another pack of bullets… and so does Ellis." Nick said, grabbing Ellis' hand and pulling him into the room where they had found ammo and health packs. He shut the door behind him before looking at Ellis, expression unwavering as he searched Ellis' face. He did not release the mechanic's hand.

"Alright Overalls, spill. What's wrong?" Nick was surprised to feel how icy Ellis' hand was.

"I said tha' nothin' was wrong." Ellis wasn't sure how to take Nick's behavior. Sure, he was flattered that Nick had noticed everything wasn't going ok but Ellis wasn't sure if Nick was absolutely sure or just running on a partial hunch.

"Overalls…" Nick warned and the next thing Ellis knew was that he was pinned to the wall, hands trapped underneath Nick's. Sure Ellis could have escaped Nick, no problem… but he was more than a little stunned and that threw him off as far as coming up with a plan to break out of Nick's grip.

"Yes?" Ellis tried to keep his cool as Nick stared him down.

"I know something is up and I want to know, Now. You have 1 minute to start talking before I _make_ you talk." Nick threatened.

"How would you force anythin' outta me?" Ellis spoke bravely, suddenly annoyed that Nick thought he could dominate just like that. Nick was a little surprised at the response but shrugged; it was Ellis after all… expect what you don't expect.

"I have many methods… and I haven't used them in a while... don't give me a reason to use them on you." Nick grinned and Ellis felt a tremor of fear run through him. Nick wasn't joking… Ellis swallowed his fear and looked Nick squarely in the eye.

"Why won'tcha take me fer my word?" Ellis challenged.

"Because I know you better than that." Nick growled. Ellis had to admit that Nick seemed to be absolutely sure. He was glad that Nick actually noticed... but ashamed at the reason behind it.

"'m kinda afraid ta face the zombies again." Ellis mumbled, cheeks flaming red.

"Really?" Nick was surprised but he didn't doubt Ellis' words… although he almost let slip 'No, really... what's wrong?.'

"Yeah… well 'm not _afraid_ I guess… just a lil bothered by it all." Ellis shrugged and Nick loosened his grip a little. "I jus' don' wanna be left alone again. You weren' the only one ready to give up."

Nick was shocked at this new bit of information. He tried to catch Ellis' eyes but the mechanic was staring at the floor, feeling ashamed.

"So you've finally joined the sane…" Nick laughed. He just couldn't help it. It had taken Ellis long enough…

"Hey! S'not funny!" Ellis glared at Nick which just sent Nick farther into his gales of laughter.

"I'd say I'm sorry kid, but I'm really not. It's just… the rest of us… well we may not actually be _afraid_ of facing the zombies but it's definitely nerve wracking. So that you've finally realized how much this really isn't a game… I just find it all humorous. It's nothing personal." Nick attempted to soothe Ellis' pride a little…

"Oh…" Ellis muttered. Both men jumped as someone banged on the door.

"Will we be leaving anytime soon?" Coach shouted through the door.

"Yeah, we just found what we needed. Goodness Coach, keep your pants on." Nick grumbled.

"Only if you do." Coach griped right back.

"Coach!" Ellis objected, mortified.

"Like I said… You would be able to _hear_ the Kid, trust me." Nick winked at Ellis.

"Whatever Nick, I'm thinkin' I could getcha ta scream my name." Ellis winked right back, giving Nick a 'gentle' punch on the arm. Nick froze in his tracks at Ellis' words, staring at him.

"I highly doubt that." Nick replied as soon as he calmed his mind from their wandering ideas.

"Go right ahead an' doubt." Ellis replied, kissing Nick lightly on the cheek before walking out the door with a confident stride. Nick smirked to himself… finally an opponent who would bite back. Well… bring it on.


	11. Can We Keep It?

This chapter was definitely a difficult one to write… I kept second guessing myself and rewriting and changing… I really hope you guys like how this chapter turns out. If not… well if you have any ideas on further chapters I may find a way to incorporate it in… maybe. Either way, I still like this story and will continue writing chapters until I deem it the end. Thanks to all the people who take the time to write a review, or just a message to me. It inspires me to sit down and seriously write… and thanks to those of you who follow my story, favorited it, or followed me. It's all very inspiring and motivational and it's thanks to all of you this chapter got written… because honestly… I kept putting it off and putting it off and doing homework… but now it's finished and I can move on to Chapter 12… What will happen in that chapter I wonder.

Chapter 11

The first step out the door was the hardest for Ellis but as soon as he got his gun firing he fell back into his old position of charging ahead and getting himself into complicated predicaments. Ellis kept looking over his shoulder, more than sure that he was being followed by something other than his teammates but he never spotted anything so he shrugged it off, deciding it would be better to take care of the dangers he could see than something that may not even be there.

Ellis wasn't the only one with the feeling of being followed... but the others took it as that foreboding feeling of a zombie trying to take advantage from behind. When they wouldn't see anything behind them they shrugged it off as paranoia and charged on.

"GODDAMNIT! GET IT OFFA ME! WHY DO THEY ALWAYS GET ME?!" Ellis shouted as a 'back-humper' attacked him.

"Stop Moving!" Nick shouted at Ellis, aiming his gun at the Jockey but not being able to shoot as Ellis tripped around, getting swiped at by other zombies.

"Because I can totally stay still." Ellis grumbled around the Jockey's fingers. He made his best attempt but before he could stay still enough for Nick's liking there was a shout and Nick got caught up in his own problem.

"Shit!" Nick shouted as a slimy appendage wrapped around him and yanked him off of his feet. While Nick wrestled with the tongue and Ellis wrestled for control of his balance Rochelle and Coach kept zombies off them.

"These things have damn good timing." Nick complained as he tried to reach the knife he had been carrying around for just this scenario. In the meantime Ellis had dropped to his knees, grappling with the Jockey and trying to get him off. Unfortunately that also meant more zombies were circling around him… and if he didn't get the Jockey off soon it just meant it was only a matter of time before they started eating him…

Nick's fingers finally brushed against the handle and with a little more squirming he was finally able to get a grip on it and yanked it out of the little holder on his belt. He sliced through the tongue neatly, jumping to his feet and shooting the smoker in one smooth motion.

Rochelle had lost sight of both Ellis and Nick and it was starting to worry her. What if Ellis had been dragged off again… She was actually a little surprised how easily things went back to normal even though they had thought Ellis dead… he just fit right back in.

Ellis decided that struggling against the jockey was a losing battle so he came up with another plan, reaching into his back pocket for his hand gun while he did his best not to be knocked around. He was taken completely off guard as a zombie swiped him and caught him cleanly in the face, knocking him backwards and catching him completely off guard. Ellis was sent for a complete loop as he tried to regain his bearings. He had lost the gun somewhere along the way and Ellis could feel his body begin to react from Panic. Not to be weak but he really needed some help right about then…

Help came in a form Ellis would have never guessed before. Just as the zombies had begun bearing down on Ellis, ready for a meal of redneck mechanic, a blur flew through the air knocking several back. There was a vicious growl and the zombies took a step back. Even the jockey was startled, releasing Ellis and moving away from the strange thing.

Being able to sit up, Ellis was able to see what had come to his rescue… It was a zombie child… Ellis supposed she would have been one of the adorable little tomboys when she was human… she still had her overall shorts (yes, she was actually wearing overalls, not coveralls) and a blue striped shirt. She even had a hat that she wore backwards; Ellis was surprised she hadn't lost it yet. That's kind of where the humanity ended though because she had a gash running down her cheek and another across her forehead; a chunk was missing from one of her arms and bite marks littered her body. Ellis almost grinned to himself when he realized she was barefoot and surprisingly her legs were pretty clear of injuries… just scratches that any normal kid would have.

Back to the situation at hand, the girl was standing in front of Ellis and growling. The zombies looked beside themselves with confusion… before they got pissed. They snarled right back but wouldn't come near the little girl. They circled, trying to figure out what to do when shots were heard. In a moment of worry for the little girl Ellis pulled her to the ground and kept her at ground level with him as his friends finally got around to clearing out the mob that had surrounded him.

The little girl looked at him in shock and Ellis felt a moment of fear when he wondered if she would attack him. She didn't however, just looked up at him and he was surprised to see some semblance of humanity in her eyes. He kinda figured that the kids were more human but it wasn't like he had spent his time seriously looking at any of the kids so it was a surprise when he didn't see blank white staring back at him… Sure they were white… but there was something more to them then that empty, lifeless, cannibal pale all the adult zombies seemed to possess.

"Ellis!" Coach shouted. "Boy, are you ok?"

"He had better be, it would be a really lousy time to die." Nick grumbled. He was the first to spot Ellis, kneeling on the ground. He paused in surprise when he saw that Ellis wasn't alone…

"Ellis…?" Rochelle asked, once she had noticed too. Ellis looked at them, a real quick little glance, before turning his attention back to the little girl that had more or less saved his life.

"Why did ya save me?" Ellis tried asking, knowing he'd get no response but trying anyway. When the girl responded with a shrug he was only a little startled… A thought occurred to Ellis as he sat looking at the little girl that just stared right back at him.

"Were you the one tha' saved me earlier? After I fell offa the rollercoaster?" Ellis asked softly. It was almost cute when the little girl smiled shyly and nodded, staring down at her bare feet.

"She What?!" Nick hadn't actually meant to shout but he was wholeheartedly perplexed. He didn't like the little zombie being so near to Ellis…

At Nick's shout the little girl jumped in surprise and grabbed on to Ellis, hiding behind him.

"S'okay. Tha's Nick. He kinda scares ev'rybody." Ellis said, patting the girls head. She had chin length hair that was pulled back in a messy pony. The little girl peeked her head out and glanced up at Nick but decided she didn't like him much and just hid her face in Ellis' arm.

"Aw look Nick… ya really scared 'er." Ellis said. He had been thrown off by the situation but the little girl had saved him from being eaten… and well… it would make sense if she had saved him from the roller coaster too because how else would he have survived when his teammates had just left him; already thinking he was dead.

"Her? Ellis, that _thing_ needs to die… So you should just move out of the way and let me finish it off for you." Nick's calloused, calculating voice was one that always sent shivers up Ellis' spine. He didn't appreciate it at all because it meant that the Nick that he liked had sunk to the back of the conman's mind and that the cold gambler Nick was out and in charge.

"No." Ellis said simply. Coach and Rochelle watched, not really knowing how to intervene. They did, at least, move to stand behind Ellis because they were against killing the little girl too.

"No? She's a goddamned Zombie Ellis, or can't you see that?" Nick sounded condescending and mean and Ellis was tired of being looked down on. He stood up, bearing down on Nick with just a look; his own brand of viciousness that he hadn't really shown anyone until now.

"She saved my life. Twice. If you kill her I will do so much worse to you." Ellis enunciated each word carefully, fighting to keep his country boy twang out of it. In his succession his voice sounded more commanding, more serious, and demanded respect.

Nick took a noticeable step back, surprised that Ellis was actually intimidating. He glared down at the little brat clutching fearfully to Ellis' leg. She couldn't have been older than 7… still had the big doe eyes, the innocence so akin to Ellis' own. No wonder the stupid hick had given in to the dumb brat.

"We should probably head on…" Rochelle put in, noticing that they wouldn't be alone for much longer. Coach nodded his agreement and Ellis turned on his heel, careful not to jostle the kid too much as she kept a grip on his pant leg. He looked over his shoulder only to make sure that Nick was following before marching ahead of Coach and Rochelle. He pulled out his gun; ready to fight all out… he didn't like the anger that now filled his heart and he wanted to fight it away. No wonder Nick could be so bitter and cold… the fire from fury actually physically hurt.

…..

"Come on, Come on! Hurry up!" Coach shouted as he held the door open for the other 3…. And uh… half? Ellis and his new little companion were first through the door, then Rochelle, and then a very behind Nick. Nick only just made it through before the giant zombie mob that had amassed and chased them half way through the carnival. It wasn't that the survivors couldn't have defeated them… it was that they didn't want to lose a limb and possibly a couple lives in the process.

The zombies beat on the door, growling and moaning in total frustration. The little girl, still clinging faithfully to Ellis, hissed at the door and the zombies gave one last thump before leaving the door. They weren't really gone, any experienced zombie hunter would know that… they just milled about nearby… waiting for their prey to leave the safety of their own prison.

Ellis looked down at what he considered his new friend… for lack of a better word. She hadn't left his side for an instance but she hadn't been a hindrance either. When the survivors had turned to flee the oncoming masses she followed right on Ellis' heels… keeping very close even with her shorter legs. Ellis was impressed to say the least… why did the little girl have to be a zombie?

"You let _it _in with us?!" Nick growled, pointing at the zombie child. He glared maliciously, his bad mood made even worse as he tended to a fairly deep cut on his calf.

"I'm not gonna leave 'er out there with those things." Ellis growled back, just as chillingly distant. Ellis and Nick stared one another down before Nick responded darkly.

"She is one of those things."

"Nick, Ellis, give it a rest. You guys have been arguing all day." Rochelle complained. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance as she smacked both males upside the head. The child zombie giggled when Rochelle smacked Nick but abruptly stopped when she did the same to Ellis. The girl looked up at Rochelle with a look of utter horror… She looked so surprised that Ellis couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. Rochelle and Coach followed suit. Nick just scowled at them all before leaving the little two room shed… it was another food shack.

Ellis watched Nick leave… a simmering rage coursing through his system lightened up only by the ridiculous situation… but once Nick was gone Ellis felt strangely empty. He had been alone… realized how much he needed Nick… and now one little disagreement was trying to ruin their fragile 'friendship.'

"Couldja stay here for a bit?" Ellis asked the little girl. She looked up at him questioningly but sat down on the floor and Ellis took that as understanding. The mechanic looked back only once, to check to see if she was really staying. She had such a lost puppy dog look in her pale eyes… how could Nick see her as a monster?

Nick sat, staring at a corner. He knew he was being kind of childish but he really couldn't care less at this point. He didn't like that zombie kid… he didn't trust kids even when they weren't zombies. This one needed to go... but his soft hearted teammates couldn't see the outright danger in keeping her- _it._ He was so absorbed within himself he didn't hear Ellis approach.

"Nick?"

"What?" Nick growled, trying to hide the fact that he was startled.

"'m sorry tha' you don' like the kid." Ellis said, kneeling next to Nick and resting his hand on his shoulder. When Nick didn't respond Ellis sat down next to him.

"Where is your little carry along anyway?" Nick muttered in a foul temper.

"I asked her to stay in the other room." Ellis answered simply. Silence fell between the two men and Ellis noticed that Nick kept glancing up at him and then away. Ellis slipped his hand into Nick's and twined their fingers, trying to catch Nick's gaze.

Nick's heart almost stopped as he looked down at his hand, seeing how perfectly it fit with Ellis'. It was so comfortable… natural… he only just realized why he had always had a problem holding his ex's hand. Her hands had been too fragile; too soft; too seemingly easy to break. Nick knew that even if he gave it his best there was no way he'd be able to injure Ellis, at least not physically… It was only then that he realized Ellis had been speaking to him.

"Sorry tha' it bothers you. I don' do it jus' ta get on yer nerves… but tha' lil girl saved me Nick.. twice… ta shoot 'er would be… wrong. I jus' couldn' letcha do it Nick… she didn' do anythin' wrong an' who knows, maybe CEDA will find a cure someday… or maybe-"

Nick put a finger to Ellis' lips, telling him to stop. Ellis just looked back at Nick… before taking the finger still touching his mouth and kissing the palm of that hand.

"I jus' don' wantcha to be angry at me." Ellis whispered. "Not when we jus' refound eachother an' all."

"Oh Kid, you are such a naive child." Nick said, trying to swallow the feelings that had made themselves known at Ellis' charming behavior. He could feel the tingles in his palm and a warm zinging where Ellis still had a grip on each hand. Ellis smiled at him, but he still looked sad.

"Nick… I can't jus' leave 'er behind…" He said softly. Ellis was afraid that the moment he was having with Nick would be ruined by those words.

"I know you can't, Kid. I just don't trust it… We don't know much about these zombie children but what we know about the zombies is that they are dangerous… end of story. I just can't make myself trust it-her…" Nick admitted, staring down at their intertwined hands.

"You don' hafta worry bout 'er at all, Nick. I'll be solely in charge a her, ok?"

"Overalls, that's really not the point." Nick said with only a little exasperation. He smiled, his gaze still not leaving their hands. Ellis looked at Nick… just looked at him, waiting for him to go on.

Nick felt his heart soften… in all his years, all that time building up his walls and shields… there was never anyone who could reach through… who could crumble the walls and break down the shields the way Ellis did. It's like… even though he broke the walls down he didn't actually damage anything… he was just there, in Nick's heart… Nick didn't understand it and he wasn't really sure if he liked it or not. It bothered him to feel the weakness.. the vulnerability he had for Ellis but at the same time… living without the kid… and the warmth that overtook his heart whenever he was near the goofy mechanic… was it worth it? Nick tried to balance it in his mind… the pros and cons of Ellis.

"Nick… yer not gonna make me leave 'er behind… are ya?" Ellis asked, giving Nick his all-powerful Puppy dog Pout. Not being one with the willpower to withstand the Ellis pout… Nick bowed his head low enough that he could rest his forehead on Ellis hand, still firmly tangled with his.

"No kid.. you can keep it-…her."

"Nick, yer the best! No doubt!" Ellis said and Nick swore his heart stopped beating as Ellis leaned in and kissed him ever so innocently on the cheek. Nick turned to stare at Ellis who gave him a bashful look in return. The shocks running through his body awoke some very personal feelings with Nick… and as Ellis turned to lean away and possibly get up Nick gave in to them, not letting Ellis escape with being so teasing.

Ellis' hat fell to the floor as Nick's hand tangled itself in the mechanic's curly hair, gently but decisively pulling Ellis' face back towards his.

"Nick?" Ellis breathed, noticing the hunger in Nick's eyes… and some sort of soft inner glow as well. He knew he had been pushing it but he had just been so happy about Nick letting him keep the zombie kid around for at least a little longer. He really would have found some way to say good bye in the end if Nick really couldn't handle her being around.

When Ellis didn't shove him away -only stared longingly at his lips- Nick leaned the rest of the way in. Warmth flashed through his system as his lips connected with Ellis'. The mechanic froze in shock… aware of what Nick had been doing but surprised that he was able to go all the way through with it with no interruptions or hesitations.

Nick's lips were warm and skilled against Ellis' but that wasn't to say Ellis didn't know what he was doing. Their lips smacked apart before reconnecting again, the fervor in Ellis igniting with Nick's own passion. Ellis, ever being the tender gentleman, ran his fingers ever so lightly down Nick's cheek, once again reveling in the stubble beneath his fingertips.

Electricity shot between the two men, lighting inner fires and causing intimate reactions even when they separated to breathe. Ellis found himself staring into the very green depths of Nick's soul, the clarity that only came out when Ellis was around shone clearly then and Ellis felt like he almost had a direct link to Nick's thoughts.

It was Ellis' turn to initiate the kiss… and he gave Nick just enough time to breathe before pressing the conman back a bit, releasing Nick's hand so that he could wind both in Nick's hair. He found himself practically sitting in Nick's lap as he locked lips with Nick again, relishing in the feel of his lips pressed to Nick's. They were soft… but not like a girl's. They gave some resistance that Ellis found refreshing and very much a turn on.

"So this is where you two got to." Rochelle snickered. "Coach, you really should stay put." She called behind her. Ellis and Nick were lost in each other… it took them a moment to register first the fact that someone else was in the room… and that it was speaking.

"Why?" The deep voice responded as it got closer.

"These two were just a couple seconds from undressing each other." Rochelle couldn't help it; it had taken them long enough. She burst into fits of giggles, trying to stem them but that only made her laugh harder. Seeing the bluish color of Coach's face didn't help as he took in the scene as well. He forced a grim sort of grin, trying to be happy for the two but feeling a little sick too. Rochelle found herself having to lean on Coach to keep herself from falling down from laughing.

Nick pulled away from Ellis, feeling a slight chill as their lips disconnected.

"Did you need something?" Nick asked, slightly annoyed. He had finally, _finally_ got not only the courage to kiss Ellis but the mechanic had kissed him back. He could see the blush starting to appear on Ellis' cheeks and rise to his ears. He was proud to notice that Ellis' lips were even redder, and down turned in a look of slight annoyance.

"Not particularly… we just came in to make sure you hadn't killed one another." Coach said, feeling his cheeks turn red at the unabashed look both men were giving him.

"Quite the opposite, actually." Nick said, placing his hands on Ellis' hips. Ellis was running his fingers nonchalantly through Nick's hair, one arm draped sensually on Nick's shoulder.

"We can see that." Rochelle said, still fighting bouts of laughter. Ellis looked at Nick and the gambler felt himself smirking as Ellis' face darkened to an even deeper shade of red. He stubbornly held his ground, however. Nick appreciated Ellis' fight against being embarrassed by the situation but the moment was gone and as much as Nick really wanted to tell Rochelle and Coach to fuck off and leave them be, he grabbed Ellis' hat and set it snugly on his head. It only took Nick a moment to figure out a new topic of conversation…

"So are you going to come up with a name for that… um…" Nick desperately wanted to say thing…

"I hadn' thought bout tha' at all!" Ellis said. Ellis stood up, straightening his shirt a bit before helping Nick up as well. He felt the burn across his face blaze as he noticed that Nick hadn't been the only one affected by the kissing, as much as the conman was able to stay calm. Ellis was just glad that the knot in his coveralls his the evidence of his own arousal.

"Well it would be nice to have something to call it…her… then zombie kid or whatever." Nick grumbled. He fought the foul mood that was trying to encompass him yet again. He noticed where Ellis' eyes kept straying and had to fight not to laugh to himself. The kid never failed to entertain Nick. He heard Ellis swallow and figured the kid must have had to stop and collect his thoughts. Damn Rochelle and Coach for once again ruining what could have been.

"Well… what do _you_ think'd be a good name?" Ellis asked, smiling at Nick. Nick rolled his eyes, thoroughly amused yet irritated.

"I don't know…" Nick said, slightly thoughtful. "What about Abigail?"

"Tha's a mouthful… what do ya think 'bout 'Abbey' instead?"

"Whatever you want, Kid. Whatever you want." Nick responded with a slight shake of his head.

"Don't we get a say?" Coach asked, looking a little put out.

"Ellis asked me… and it's Ellis' zombie. So no Coach, you and Rochelle do not get a say." Nick responded coolly. As calm as Ellis made him, that did not mean he wasn't royally pissed at Coach and Rochelle.

"Do ya not like the name?" Ellis asked, looking a little hurt. Sometimes Nick wondered if Ellis was actually hurt by the notion…. Or if he was just milking his innocent redneck routine for all it was worth.

"It's fine. I just enjoy how easy it is to get on Nick's nerves." Coach had a very triumphant expression. Probably mostly because of the dumbfounded look that had crossed Nick's face briefly.

"It is kinda fun ta press his buttons sometimes." Ellis pondered thoughtfully, "But don' make him made, K? Cuz then you've got me ta deal with too."

"Oh does he now?" Nick asked. Bad mood once again forgotten.

"Well yeah… so if he does he'll have… I'll jus' hafta teach him a lesson I guess." Ellis shrugged, grinning.

"So what would you do if I said that he has really pissed me off." Nick asked, keeping his voice smooth and silky.

"He always does that, Nick." Ellis snorted, knowing Nick better than that.

"Good point… well what if I'm in a really bad mood now because of Coach…"

"Ya don't look like ya are." Ellis mused. Nick looked skyward.

"I'm dealing with it for your sake." Nick muttered.

"In that case… Nick, you're fantastic." Ellis said, giving Nick a quick kiss on the cheek. "And Coach, quit pushin' his buttons. I figure there's only so much Nick'll take for me." Ellis playfully punched Coach on the shoulder.

"It reminds me of this one time, with Keith. He swore to hell and back that I couldn't piss him off cuz I was his best friend. We were real lil at the time so he didn' know no better, but I did." Ellis said, pacing the kitchen slightly at the memory.

"Course I always wanted ta prove Keith wrong… so I figured a way to piss him off real bad."

"Really? What did you do?" Nick asked, feigning enthusiasm for the kid's sake.

"I stole his hat and drew on it with sharpies." Ellis' grin was mischievous and Nick felt a twinge of arousal set back in. Just something about that look…

"Aw Ellis, that's horrible!" Rochelle exclaimed as she started pulling out snacks and what not that could be arranged as some sort of dinner/lunch… food time.

"Thing is… it wasn' actually his hat. See, I had a hat tha' looked jus' like it. So I stole his hat right buh-fore he had ta leave one day and then drew on the hat I had tha' looked similar, coloring out whatever might give 'way tha' it wasn' actually his hat." Ellis exclaimed. He had taken his own hat off, brushing it off and looking at it fondly. "So when Keith came back, wantin' his hat… I gave him the replica with sharpie doodles all over it. Keith was so mad that he started crying… then I felt kinda bad but he wouldn' talk ta me.

"Keith's mom was pretty mad at me too, cuz I hadn't given Keith his real hat back an' she thought that I had colored on his hat. My mom smoothed it over though… she went to the store an' got us both hats, matching except for in color. I got this blue one… an' Keith has a red one. See, my mom, Keith, an' I all signed the inside." Ellis showed his teammates the little signatures hidden on the inside of the hat. "Keith's mom still was purdy mad at me though… she wouldn't sign my hat. I think I still have Keith's real hat… somewhere…"

"You mean you never gave it back?" Coach shook his head at Ellis' childishness.

"Nope. It made our twin hats specialler somehow…"

"Speaking of twins…" Nick said as he noticed a certain little zombie looking in on them. "There's your mini me right now."

Ellis looked where Nick gestured and grinned.

"Well howdy there. Sorry bout everyone leavin.' We were discussin' important grown up stuff." Ellis said, patting the girl's head. She looked up at him, disbelief written all over her face.

"Smart kid." Nick murmured to himself. It was hard to catch Ellis in a lie… then again… Ellis actually discussing 'grown up' stuff? The kid was right to doubt.

"So we were thinkin' bout a name fer ya… unless you r'member wha' yer real name is…?" Ellis asked, kneeling down in front of the child. He made a memo to himself to offer to clean up her injuries later. He didn't know if she could feel pain or not… but it would probably put everyone else's minds to rest if he did… the less she looked like a zombie the less she might be treated as one.

The tomboy shook her head, staring at her hands. She looked sad in a way… as if not knowing was shameful and just generally bad. Ellis looked the little girl in the eye.

"Would ya be alright with us callin' ya 'Abbey' then? I think it's cute an' fits ya real well." Ellis grinned as the girls eyes brightened and she nodded energetically. Abbey looked up at the other survivors and grinned and even Nick could see there was something more in her eyes… there was something there. Even if she looked the way she looked. Speaking of which.

"Abbey, sweetie, do you want me to bandage you up?" Rochelle asked, deciding it was time to start treating Abbey as a real living being and not some random creature Ellis picked up. She had saved the silly mechanic after all… and Rochelle, at least, was grateful to her for it.

Abbey shook her head, looking at Ellis.

"Do you want to be bandaged? Or do you want Ellis to bandage you up?" Rochelle responded… she only felt a little shunned but she should have figured. Abbey liked Ellis; it was the only reason she was still with the group.

Abbey looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at Ellis and holding out the arm with the bite on it.

"I'll go get the med-kit." Rochelle said, leaving the room briefly. Ellis smiled fondly at Abbey…

"I don't know why she'd trust you… she must've never seen you bandage anyone up." Coach teased Ellis.

"I dunno, I think I do a pretty good job." Ellis answered. The mechanic hadn't failed to notice that Nick had become very quiet… but Ellis didn't let it bother him. Nick was going to try and put up with Abbey –he'd even helped name her- so there was nothing for Ellis to worry about.

"If you say so." Coach chuckled. The big man looked at the food that Rochelle had been able to find with expiration dates later than that day. Coach was amazed that Rochelle was still keeping track of the days and time… but he was glad she did. No one wants to eat food with an expiration date of a couple weeks ago.

"I say so." Ellis responded as Rochelle walked back into the room, handing the med kit to Ellis.

"Do you mind if we eat a bit without you, honey?" Rochelle asked. "I have a feeling if we don't start now Coach will have it all eaten."

Coach scowled a moment before shrugging and nodding. She more or less had a point…

"Go ahead, I don' mind." Ellis shrugged as he started bandaging Abbey up. He didn't use very much of the cleaners and antibiotics because he wasn't sure how she'd react… he more or less just wrapped bandages around the open wounds. He even put a couple of the smaller Band-Aids on the scratches that littered her legs.

"There." Ellis said as he applied the last bandage.

"Wow… if it weren't for the eyes… and the skin… you'd think she was a regular little girl." Coach said in amazement. Nick stared coolly down at the little girl and shrugged, obviously not agreeing with Coach. Well… at least he hadn't left the room or anything.

"Didja save me anything?" Ellis pouted as he noticed a very empty table. Coach looked up guiltily and Rochelle's face turned pink.

"I'm afraid that's all I could find in here…" Rochelle murmured apologetically. Ellis' pout couldn't have been more heart breaking. Nick could almost see the tears start in his eyes. Nick couldn't help laughing.

"S'not funny." Ellis whined. Abbey patted his hand soothingly, looking up at him with big, adoring eyes.

"I think it's hilarious." Nick mentioned, reaching over and grabbing Ellis' hat. Ellis sniffled, looking very dejected. Abbey stalked over to Nick and held out her hand, gesturing for him to give the hat to her. She had a very smug expression on her face and Nick had to work very hard not to laugh again. He was caught off guard by that simple fact and handed her Ellis' hat. She put it back on his head, backwards, and patted it.

Ellis smiled at her but squirmed as his stomach gave a particularly loud growl. Abbey looked up at him with sad eyes, hugging his arm.

"I'll be ok. Goin' withou' dinner has never killed me buh-fore. It shouldn' now either." Ellis said, standing up. His stomach gave another loud growl but he ignored it.

"Sorry Ro' but I'm thinkin' that I deserve the couch." Ellis said… not commanding but more with a plea in his voice.

"Yeah Ellis, you're right. There are a couple of matts for the rest of us." Rochelle responded, pointing in the corner. Nick looked at the ceiling before rolling his eyes and grabbing one, dragging it into the room Ellis would be sleeping in. He set the matt down next to the couch and relaxed down onto it.

Ellis followed shortly, his 'mini me' in tow.

"Do ya sleep?" Ellis was asking as he took a seat on the couch. Abbey looked at him confused, sitting on the couch as well. Realizing she didn't understand for once he pointed to Nick who was lying on the floor, his eyes closed as he listened to Ellis' voice. Abbey shook her head.

"Oh… well… we need to. I dunno what yer gonna wanna do while we sleep." Ellis was stumped. He had no idea what to do… as much fun as it would be staying up with Abbey there were two reasons why that would be a bad idea. First, as long as Abbey stayed around he wouldn't be able to do that and Second, he needed his sleep.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Nick explained, not opening his eyes. He grinned as he heard Ellis's stomach grumble to its hungry self.

"I hope I'll be able ta get a lil sleep." Ellis muttered, looking very forlornly at the floor.

"There are so many things I'd like to do to that pouting mouth…" Nick whispered under his breath, but he refrained from actually moving more than just sitting up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out whatever he was able to snag from under Coach's nose. Understand that Nick would eat it and not be hungry before he gave any to Ellis but he had gotten enough to keep his own stomach quiet and realized that if he didn't do something there would be nothing left for Ellis.

Ellis was trying to ignore the hunger pain in his stomach, wondering how he'd get any sleep at all that night. Abbey just sat and watched him with her pale eyes. Ellis' interest awoke as he heard the crinkling of something but he fought to ignore it, lest his hopes be raised just to be crushed.

"Here." Nick said, tossing Ellis two bags of chips, 3 twinkies, a couple candy bars, and a jar of peaches. Where Rochelle had found the peaches he had no idea… he was just glad it was baby food jar sized because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to keep it hidden. He had heck keeping the food hidden as it was.

"What…?!" Ellis stared at the treasure trove that lay scattered where he was sitting. "What is all this?"

"Dinner." Nick shrugged, lying back down and closing his eyes. Ellis felt his heart warm to bursting point as he enjoyed his meager supper. Going from nothing to something that would keep his stomach quiet was like heaven… Ellis noticed while he popped open the bag of chips that Abbey was staring at the small pile of candy bars in Ellis' lap.

"Didja want one?" Ellis asked, unwrapping a chocolate bar and offering it to her. She stared at it a moment, looking up at Ellis then back at the candy. She was hesitant as she took it from him, taking a tentative bite. Her eyes lit from within, shining with a very bright light as she took another bite and another.

"Hey Nick, are ya seein' this?" Ellis asked as Abbey slowly enjoyed her chocolate bar.

"What?" Nick asked sitting up. He looked at Abbey and his eyebrows rose in surprise. She was eating chocolate… there was a slight twinge of annoyance that some of what he had smuggled for Ellis was being given to Abbey but he supposed it could be worse. It was an interesting discovery nonetheless.

Ellis offered her another candy bar after she finished the first and the smile she gave him… it made Ellis' heart feel a strange sort of warmth, not anything like what he felt for Nick or Zoey… more a slow burning warmth that told him he would do anything to protect this little girl.

Ellis handed Nick the rest of the candy bars with a meaningful look at Abbey. She eyed Nick a little suspiciously but in the end her new, re-found love for chocolate won her over and she went over to sit next to Nick and beg with huge doe eyes.

"Overalls… you're a real pain." Nick grumbled as he unwrapped another candy bar for Abbey. Meanwhile Ellis enjoyed the peaches that Nick had snagged him; a real delicacy at this point in time. Abbey smiled gratefully up at Nick when he handed her the king sized kit-kat bar. Nick couldn't help it anymore, he smiled back.

"It's strange that you like chocolate… sometimes I wonder about you…" Nick said as he watched Abbey enjoy her 'meal'. Nick wondered fleetingly if she'd feel queasy if she ate too much like a normal child. There was only one candy bar left anyway, it wouldn't hurt… right?

"Here you go, sweetheart." Nick cooed softly as he handed the last chocolate bar to Abbey. She smiled up at him, giving him a hug. Nick was wholeheartedly stunned. The more time he spent with Abbey… the less she seemed like a monster. Abbey released Nick and accepted the chocolate from him, giving him a look that until then she had reserved for Ellis.

Ellis could have sworn that his heart burst with love at that moment… Nick could just be so goddamned adorable sometimes. He was so good with kids… even if he didn't like them. Ellis wondered if he had ever had kids… but no, he had mentioned not right? Ellis couldn't recall. It's too bad… Ellis could imagine Nick as an amazing father if he could just find the right person for him. Ellis had a random image of himself and Nick standing hand in hand and looking down at a couple kids playing together.

Ellis shook his head to clear his head of the image. This thing… with Nick… Ellis highly doubted that it would be anything permanent. Nick didn't have real feelings for him… did he? Ellis really didn't think so… not with Nick's attitude and his past… still… No. Ellis would not dwell on it too much. The more he thought about a future with Nick the more his heart would be torn when reality caught up with him and told him 'not going to happen.'

"Back ta the problem of sleeping…" Ellis mumbled sleepily to himself. He stretched before slumping down onto the couch. He grinned lazily down at Nick who had found a napkin somewhere and was fondly wiping the excess chocolate from Abbey's face. Her eyes glittered with an emotion that Ellis would have sworn a zombie of any kind could never have.

"Just lie down, Sport." Nick muttered as he tossed the napkin to the side without so much as a bat of an eye. Ellis obeyed and Abbey hugged Nick one last time before jumping onto the couch and snuggling into Ellis' chest.

"Are ya gonna try ta sleep?" Ellis asked, smiling down at Abbey. She just closed her eyes and stayed very still. Ellis chuckled to himself before closing his eyes as well.

Nick couldn't sleep… the previous scene with Ellis and that _kiss _kept playing though his mind and his body reacted in an all too pleasant way. Just the thoughts of Ellis kept playing through his mind… all of his expressions and his innocence… would Nick be the one to steal that innocence? He hoped so… or did he? Was what was happening with Ellis really a good thing? Nick wasn't sure…

As thoughts and memories buzzed through his mind Nick didn't even realize when his mind went from the waking world to a dream.

"Ellis?" He asked, wondering how they had ended up back in a real house. He thought they had been in a snack shack. Ellis didn't answer and in that moment Nick realized that Ellis was wearing nothing but an Apron… and that did very little to hide the arousal the boy had.

Ellis didn't respond to Nick except to look up at the conman ever so innocently. Nick felt a thrill run through his body at this… God how he wanted that body. He wouldn't let himself admit it… but finally thinking it released something within him. He noticed that his pants were getting awfully tight, and Ellis seemed to notice as well. He sashayed over to Nick, pressing the conman back until Nick had landed on a couch with Ellis on his lap. Ellis' knee brushed ever so softly against Nick's growing arousal.

Nick gasped, seeking more friction and Ellis gave it to him willingly, purposely putting more pressure on that area. Nick couldn't prevent his hips from bucking up ever so slightly and Ellis grinned, very mischievously. It pulled a moan from Nick's throat and then Ellis' lips were on his. Nick could feel the wetness of Ellis' tongue sliding against his lips and he was about to open to give Ellis entrance when he was startled awake.

Nick sat straight up, or he tried to. There was a very warm weight holding him down and another cooler weight curled into his side. Nick opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the darkness before he looked around. Nick smirked to himself at what he found, his heart melting just a little.

Ellis had his head resting on Nick's shoulder, arm draped over Nick's stomach. Ellis was also curled protectively around Abbey whose head was resting on Nick's stomach. Apparently even zombies needed to sleep… or maybe children zombies did? Either way, Abbey had figured it out. Ellis shifted a little and one of his legs draped over Nick's, bumping into Abbey. In response she snuggled closer to Nick, grabbing a soft hold on his blue shirt. She sighed in contentment, nuzzling the blue fabric.

Nick wished she wasn't a zombie… She was probably one of those all too adorable kids. One of the ones even he would have gotten along with. What was Ellis going to do when he had to pick between Abbey and CEDA… There was no way Ellis would want to hand Abbey over but they needed to get to CEDA… there was no ands, ifs, or buts about it. They had had so many close calls so far. Nick patted Abbey's head before weaving his fingers through Ellis'. The mechanic's fingers flexed in response, curling into his automatically. Nick found he had no trouble going back to sleep… and this time he was not… 'bothered' by any more dreams of Ellis.

…

Walking through the Carnival with Abbey was like a get out of the zombie apocalypse free card. Sure zombies still milled around and even fewer then that would try to attack them but there were few enough that they were easily dealt with. Some of the zombies aiming to attack ran away when Abbey hissed at them. All in all the survivors were very glad for their new companion. Going a little bit against common sense they slowed down and enjoyed all the new activities open to them. They saw zombies pass them, a malicious glare on their face, but they did not come near the survivors as soon as they saw Abbey.

"What is it about her, do you think?" Rochelle asked, looking down at the little zombie child. She.. was a little menacing Rochelle guessed… at least when she hissed. But honestly… if she were a zombie she wouldn't hesitate attacking the little one to get to her meal… Rochelle tried recalling what happened to Nick when he attacked the children zombie before. One zombie child, although amazing, really wouldn't be enough to take down all the zombies…. Would it?

"GUYS! COTTON CANDY! GUYS, DO YOU SEE IT TOO!?" Ellis shouted with a laugh. "Man, it's been like… forever since I had any cotton candy!"

"And I'm guessing you're getting a 'hankering' for cotton candy right now?" Nick light pinched the bridge of his nose, more in a show of annoyance than an actual headache coming on.

"Please?" Ellis asked. Abbey's look mirrored his plea.

"Be ready Coach, Nick cannot hold out against Ellis and even less against Abbey." Rochelle said, patting Nick's shoulder. Nick glowered at her, but knew she was right. At the moment he was trying to look anywhere but at Ellis.

"Where is it?" Nick finally gave in, somewhat irritated. Ellis and Abbey pointed at a little booth across the row from them.

"Really?" Ellis sounded like a kid in a candy store… Nick rolled his eyes at the analogy, realizing it was very much like the situation they were in right now.

"Sure, sure. Just don't take forever." Nick said, crossing his arms. The three adults followed the other two over to the machine.

"How do these things work?" Ellis asked, blinking in confusion. Rummaging on the other side Abbey came back with a bag of sugar, white paper cones, and a scoop. Ellis looked at her quizzically and she rolled her eyes, grinning at his lack of knowledge.

"Outclassed by a little girl." Nick teased as Abbey showed Ellis how to turn on the machine, and then poor the sugar into a compartment. After that he was able to figure out how to tangle the candy into a spherical shape around the cone.

"Here ya go Nick, what do ya think?" Ellis handed him the first cone. Nick looked at it and shrugged.

"Beautiful craftsmanship." Nick's sarcasm was very evident. "Look Kid, you can't mess up cotton candy. It's just not possible." Nick took a bite to prove his point, enjoying the feel of sugar melting on his tongue. Making one for Coach, and then Rochelle next, Ellis seemed to be having the time of his life. Abbey showed she wanted to help make a couple as well so Ellis picked her up and she made one for herself, and one for Ellis. They shut the machine down before leaving, all of them enjoying their very sugary treats.

"I never knew that this was pure sugar." Coach said. "I really just thought my parents were joking."

"Well don't they use the 'pure sugar' line for every kind of candy?" Rochelle asked.

"Well… yeah."

"There you go Coach, you had no reason to believe them this time either."

Walking through they found games that Ellis just had to stop and play. He especially enjoyed a little carnival game where you had to shoot the plastic balls at cartoon zombies. Once he figured he had earned an actual stuffed animal he shot down a stuffed green dinosaur, handing it to Abbey. Nick reached into his own pocket to see if the teddy bear Ellis had given him was still there. Finding out that it was, he sighed in relief… What could he say, the kid was really growing on him… both of them were.

"Now can we go on a ride?" Ellis pleaded.

"Now Ellis, boy that is really pushing it." Coach put his foot down.

"But… but Nick?" Ellis turned 'the begging eyes' on him.

"Alright Overalls, this time you will not hold power over me. Coach is right… who knows when this little freebie from zombies will wear off." Nick stared right into Ellis' eyes, fighting the urge to give in. Last time he gave in to the rides… Ellis had almost died. That gave Nick the reserve to say absolutely not to that face; even when Abbey put the power of her look on him as well.

"But Niiiick…" Ellis whined.

"Overalls… don't make me hurt you." Nick's brow twitched irritably.

"….You wouldn' hurt me…" Ellis said but the doubt was clear in his voice.

"It's funny how you can go from so sure in yourself to a dumb kid." Nick exclaimed, more to himself than anyone. Ellis was ready to make a witty comment when he noticed Nick's face paling.

"Wha's gotcha all tongue-tied, Nick?" Ellis asked, his heart pounding and the blood draining from his face as he turned to look in the direction that Nick was looking. When he didn't see anything and heard his teammates laughing he caught on.

"Tha's not funny." Ellis pouted, crossing his arms. Abbey mimicked him, a pout on her face as well.

"Your expression was hilarious." Nick disagreed, patting Ellis on the head. Abbey glared at Nick, shaking a fist at him before hugging Ellis' leg. She peeked out to stick her tongue at Nick before hiding again.

"I don't think so." Nick said, sneaking around the other side of Ellis. He saw that Abbey was peeking around Ellis' leg again and he took that moment to poke her. She jumped in surprise, moving away from Ellis' leg. Nick grabbed her up, spinning her before bringing her in close, cuddling her.

"Come on, I have to give Overalls a bad time every now and then." Nick told Abbey. She was too busy giggling to respond. When she regained her composure she looked at Nick. He wondered if she was still mad at him… but put that thought to rest when she hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck. Not seeming to want to be put back down Nick helped her onto his shoulders.

"You're really somethin' else." Ellis smiled at Nick, tugging on one of Abbey's feet playfully. She hugged Nick's head, drumming her heels lightly on his shoulders. She also snagged Ellis' hat when he wasn't looking, putting it on Nick backwards.

"Hey now, I need that hat…" Ellis warned, grinning. Abbey paused, looking thoughtful for a moment… before she took off her own hat and handed it to him.

"Wow Ellis, you sure are getting special treatment." Nick teased as he adjusted Abbey's weight so she fit a little more comfortably on his shoulders. She was pretty heavy for a little kid… but Nick could handle it. Especially without zombies attacking them.

Of course… things can't go perfectly forever, as the survivors and their new little buddy found out when a hunter attacked.

"Get It Off!" Coach wailed as the Hunter tried to get passed Coach's gun to slice the man to pieces.

Nick and Ellis shot, Abbey clinging fearfully to Nick's shoulders. She slipped down his back as he ran to help Coach, shoving the dead Hunter off of him.

"You still in one piece Coach?" Nick asked, offering Coach his hand. Coach was about to respond when another Hunter appeared, leaping at Ellis.

"Bastard!" Nick shouted, putting a bullet through the Hunter's head.

"Where are they all coming from?" Rochelle cried out as they heard the warning sound of more Hunters as they approached. Abbey was quivering in fear, clinging to Ellis' leg with a death grip. Tremors ran through her body as glowing eyes became visible all around them.

"Shhh, it'll be ok Abbey. We'll keep you safe." Nick cooed to her, shooting a Hunter that had leapt at them. One leapt at Nick's back, ready to hit its target when another mass ploughed into it. The hunter's throat was torn out before it even knew what was going on.

Abbey hissed down at the dead Hunter, glaring at the other three pairs of eyes that could be seen. They all turned to her, hissing back. She prowled along on all fours, keeping an eye on all 3 of them. When one of them came into clear view Nick shot at it, taking down one more. The two left took that opportunity to leap at Abbey. Ellis jumped in front of one of them and they collided. Ellis and the Hunter fell to the ground, rolling around in the dirt as both Ellis and the zombie tried to gain the advantage.

Meanwhile Abbey scrapped with the one that had attacked her. Neither Rochelle nor Coach could get a clear shot on either Hunter that was attacking their teammates. Nick ran in with his bat, knocking the one attacking Ellis to the ground and bashing its head in. Ellis leaped to his feet, looking for where Abbey was.

Abbey's battle looked very much like a dog fight with people. Abbey and the Hunter snapped at each other, trading scratches and bites back and forth while they each tried to gain the upper hand. The Hunter finally got ahold of Abbey's fore leg, throwing her to the ground. She screamed in surprise and possible pain as she crashed into a booth.

"DIE!" Ellis lunged at the Hunter with his bare hands, forgetting or ignoring the fact that a hunter has claws and teeth… Nick ran to Ellis' aide, trying to keep the Hunter from doing Ellis serious damage in his blind rage. The Hunter knocked Ellis off, attempting to pounce on Ellis but Nick slammed it away with the blunt edge of his axe. Ellis clutched at a cut on his arm, blood slipping out in streamlets.

Rochelle took the free shot on the hunter as Ellis crawled to where Abbey still lay, motionless.

"Abbey?" He whispered as he pulled her body from the debris. She didn't respond immediately and it wasn't like Ellis could check for a heartbeat. He held his breath, not even noticing when Nick came to sit next to him.

"Abbey…" Ellis whispered, patting her hair. He took her hat off, realizing he was still wearing it… and Nick was still wearing his. He set her hat back on her head, tenderly adjusting it while Nick took Ellis' hat off as well. The two men cradled the limp girl between them and Nick could feel tears pool in his eyes, the burning taking over. Ellis' tears had already started spilling down his cheeks.

Abbey's luminous, pale eyes blinked up at them. She smiled, sitting up as if there was nothing wrong with being thrown into another solid object. Nick scrubbed at his eyes, glad that no tears had escaped. Ellis patted Abbey's hat, hugging the child close to him.

"We thoughtcha mighta been dead." Ellis whispered.

"We're glad you're alright." Nick said, joining the hug between Ellis and Abbey. Rochelle and Coach joined as well, a tear track on Rochelle's cheek.

"I don' know wha' I'dda done if you died." Ellis mumbled, voice choked with tears. Abbey leaned back enough to wipe away the tears with a little handkerchief she pulled from her pocket. With her bloodstained overalls and shirt… it was amazing that the handkerchief was so clean. Ellis smiled, kissing the back of her hand gently. She smiled brightly up at him.

"We need to go… we need to get out of here." Coach reminded gently, looking around as more rustling was heard.

Nick looked at their little group… At the new addition that he had so loathed… but… Although he may not have been as attached as Ellis, Abbey meant more to him than any other kid ever even dreamed. Nick shuddered, realizing Ellis wouldn't be the only heartbroken one when they finally had to leave Abbey… Who knew what awaited them… hopefully Abbey would be able to take care of herself and could say goodbye to them as well…

Regardless, it was a bridge to be crossed only once it was reached. No need to jump the gun just yet. No one could tell the future… As the survivors walked through the carnival, Ellis and Nick swinging a very delighted Abbey between them, they kept in mind that they still had each other… and as long as that held true… Nick was pretty sure he'd be able to face anything thrown his way.

If only he knew what was in store for him and his companions….


	12. Saved but Lost

As much as I know it won't do much good I'd like to apologize profusely about how long it has taken to get this chapter out. I could give you several excuses (started college, been really busy, had writers block) the main reason was honestly a lack of motivation to write and being stuck because I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to take the story. I mean I have a predetermined plan but I've already changed some parts and rewrote this and that so when I reached this fork I was just o.o do I go right, or left… maybe straight… is there another path I'm not seeing? Either way, when I found my grooves I would get a lot written and then I'd hit times where I just wouldn't know what to write. So again, I'm sorry… I have honestly been trying harder and now that I've chosen the path it should go a little smoother. Either way, I still plan on finishing this… it's just going slower than I had planned right now. Thanks for taking the time to read this :D I will be a faithful writer, I swear… I just had to refind my muse and figure out the game plan.

Chapter 12

"The Midnight RIDERS! Man, those guys were the best!" Ellis shouted as they came upon posters proclaiming that the midnight riders would be playing at the carnival.

"The who?" Nick asked, looking quizzically at Ellis. Ellis gave him a stunned look.

"They're gonna save us!" Ellis said simply.

"Yes, they are!" Coach said with conviction.

"Ok, no offense but… it's a band. How is it going to-" Nick questioned, trying to be logical.

"Shhh, do you hear that?! Do you Hear that?!" Coach cut in, getting really excited. Through the other sounds coming from the carnival a soft whirring could be heard.

"A Helicopter!" Rochelle cried out in relief.

"No... for real?" Ellis said, trying to catch a glimpse of it. Abbey just looked at them all in confusion.

"Midnight Riders really will be saving us today! We can use their huge finale to attract the helicopter!" Coach shouted in joy.

"Coach! You are a genius!" Rochelle praised.

"Alright, so where's the stage?" Nick asked, strolling along in the direction the posters pointed out. Zombies ambling along looked at Nick but kept walking with a hiss from Abbey. That wasn't to say that Nick didn't have his gun out, he was totally ready for zombie butt kicking if the need arose again. They would not catch Nick without his guns locked and loaded this time. Ellis just patted Abbey fondly on the head, receiving an adoring look from her.

"You're going in the right direction." Rochelle answered. A hunter stalked by, eyes glinting dangerously at them but it continued on. Abbey smirked at it as if to say 'yeah, you better stay away'.

"Ya think the Midnight Riders are infected now?" Ellis asked. He didn't look worried or sad, just curious.

"I think that that is a very real possibility." Nick muttered. "Considering it seems like we're the only survivors left for miles."

"Do ya think that CEDA is even keepin' people safe? What if they were overrun?" Ellis continued to wonder as they headed in the direction of the Midnight Rider's Stage.

"Shouldn't we be in a little bit more of a hurry than asking silly questions?" Coach asked, trying to block the possibility of there no safe havens from his mind.

"If that Copter is a show for anything, it's hope that CEDA's still alive and kicking." Rochelle put in, either in answer to Ellis or to help quell her own fears.

"I think we should consider the possibility of CEDA being overrun." Nick muttered. "Ellis may have a very valid point."

"Well what would we do then?" Coach asked, sounding short tempered.

"Would that make us the last humans?" Rochelle wondered out loud.

"Does that matter?" Nick grumbled mostly to himself. He knew that in a way it did but he really didn't care. What _if_ they were the only survivors? So what?

"Yeah, it does." Ellis answered. Nick glared, ready to say that it had been a rhetorical question but Ellis continued. "Obviously, if tha's the case, we'd hafta find the cure!"

"That is very optimistic of you, Overalls." Nick responded snidely. His gaze fell on Abby and he wondered if she might have been the spark of Ellis' idea. "If you hadn't noticed… we don't have any scientists in our group. We don't even have a doctor."

"Course there're no scientists. They're probly holed up in their labs or some such shit. Safe an' sound while their creations wreak havoc on society."

"What have you been reading to suddenly have such a large vocabulary?" As much as the kid meant to Nick sometimes he was such a fool. Rochelle stopped the answer of that question by asking her own.

"What makes you think it was the scientist's fault?"

"I dunno…. What else could be causin' this?" Ellis answered with a question.

"Well a lot of people believe it to be a plague from God." Rochelle responded.

"That's not how it's supposed to work! The end of the world is supposed to come in fire!" Coach replied, voice raw with passion.

"Well you could say that the plague spread like wild fire." Nick proposed. His response was a 'drop dead' glare from Coach.

"Maybe it'll be in like a nuclear bomb… ya know, ta try an' get rid a all the zombies?" Ellis suggested.

"What happened to your cure idea?" Rochelle questioned.

"Well I never said that we'd actually find the cure…." Ellis muttered sheepishly.

"You _implied_ it!" Nick exclaimed.

"Yeah….well…." Ellis scratched his neck. "'s not like I'm plannin' for the world to end. I'm jus' tryin' ta think a all the possibilities."

"Well how very…." Nick scrambled for the right word, "…worldy of you."

Abby's eyes followed the adults as they spoke back and forth. Ellis wished he could read minds especially at that moment. If only she could speak her mind as well… he wondered what she'd have to say.

"Do any of you still hear or see the copter?" Rochelle asked out of the blue.

The other three survivors paused a moment, listening. The sounds easy to pick up were the groans of the undead nearby. Straining to hear past that a whirring could just barely be heard.

"Look, if we're going try and catch that helicopter we need to move _now!_" Coach urged and they quickened their pace towards the stage. Upon reaching the huge, brightly lit stage the survivors realized a few things. One: that the stage is going to make a lot of noise and attract a lot of unwanted attention. Two: If that copter didn't come to their rescue they'd be in for a fight of their lives, with or without Abby's help.

Nick found himself questioning if they would survive this. Well, at least they'd go out with a bang.

"Ah yeah, gonna smash some heads in with a guitar!" Ellis shouted as he grabbed a bright red guitar and took a couple practice swings.

"Hey now! Careful there, Ace!" Nick said, nearly getting smacked in a back swing.

"Let's pump up the tunes!" Coach said, setting the plan in motion. Ellis air guitared even though he had a guitar strapped to his back. The Midnight Rider's voices echoed over their heads.

"Looks like your band lip synched." Nick pointed out to Ellis. Ellis shrugged, continuing his guitar solo while Coach headed up to the mic.

"Dear God, here they come!" Rochelle shouted as her eyes fell on the crowd of zombies racing toward them. Abby had been watching Ellis and Coach curiously until the thundering of feet reached her ears. She crouched ready to attack as Ellis, singing loudly, ran into the fray.

Nick attempted to keep an eye on his fellow survivors but as the first wave hit he quickly lost track of everything except the nearest zombie attacking him. He'd get brief moments where he could see Abby flying at a zombie or Ellis using the guitar for all it's worth. As long as he didn't see any of them in trouble he didn't worry about them, just kept fighting to stay alive himself.

"How much longer until the finale?" Rochelle shouted between waves.

With the music blaring Nick doubted that Ellis or Coach had even heard the question. The only reason he had was he was fighting back to back with her at that moment.

"Shouldn't be too much longer." Nick shouted to her as Ellis smacked a zombie down who had been going after Nick. The conman grinned to himself, feeling that Ellis was having too much fun for the particular situation they were in.

"Aw man, ya ready for this Coach?!" Ellis shouted, strumming the bloody strings of his guitar before bringing it down on another zombie. The crunch wasn't audible with the noise of the music but Nick could imagine it was sickening.

"Completely ready!" Coach said, batting several zombies off the stage but catching Nick's shoulder in a back swing.

"Ow! Damn you, Coach! Watch what you're doing, dumbass!" Nick shouted as pain seared through his left shoulder. He didn't have long to dwell on it as a hunter lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and slamming his good shoulder down hard. Nick grumbled to himself as he grappled with the hunter, attempting to ignore the pain.

"Guys… a little help if you could spare it." Nick ground out loudly as he kept the hunter from tearing his organs out. Abby flew to his rescue, jaws clamping down on the zombie's throat and neatly tearing the head from the body. Nick ignored the fluids that were sprayed on him as he got back to his feet, just as a huge explosion of light filled the stage and left even the zombies stunned.

"Hell Yeah!" Ellis shouted, pirouetting with the guitar and knocking zombies away.

"What if the chopper didn't spot it?" Rochelle shouted as the song began to come to an end.

"Don't think like that!" Nick shouted into the sudden silence. Lights were still flying into the air at spontaneous times but the music was gone and Nick's voice echoed through the stage. The zombies tore their gazes from the strange appearance of blinding eye pain and turned back to their 'prey.' Abby attempted to rub away the stars from her sight and tried to regain her bearings, smearing the ever steady flow of blood that leaked from her eyes. It was the only show of her sickness in the previous days considering her actual injuries were hidden in Band-Aids and gauze.

"We're done for guys… They actually let us down…" Coach muttered several minutes later as whirring still couldn't be heard. The situation kept presenting more dire as zombies swarmed the stage.

"Where do they all come from?" Nick groaned as he kept fighting but could feel his left shoulder really begin to argue with his constant movement. He gave it a rest by pulling out a pistol and, trying to keep his left arm from being jarred too much, shot zombies down.

"We're gonna die… we're gonna die… we're gonna die…" Nick heard Rochelle murmur brokenly as the last of the stage fireworks died down. He had to admit that he was finding the situation pretty bleak himself. If that chopper didn't come then they were as good as dead. They had no way of escaping the hoard and they only had so much ammo, so much strength, and so much stamina. Even if it wasn't too hard taking down one or two zombies, the surplus of numbers would wear them down eventually. Not to mention the zombies were trying to get a bite and that would be just as detrimental as if they were knocked down and eaten. Either way their lives seemed over.

"Dammit Overalls, Watch it!" Nick shouted as Ellis collided with his back, throwing him off balance. A zombie was able to knock him over and grappled with him a moment, its foul breath clogging Nick's esophagus.

"Shit." Nick growled as he fought the zombie off, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder.

"Sorry Nick." Ellis mumbled as he shot the zombie down and kicked it off Nick, offering the gambler a hand up. Nick took it but didn't respond verbally, rotating his shoulder a little and flinching at the soreness. Ellis worked to stay near Nick instead of running into the crowd as he had done before. Nick wondered what the hick was doing.

"Nick… are we gonna die?" Ellis whispered. Nick looked at the mechanic in surprise. Nick had several snarky comments reserved for these kinds of moments. If you showed weakness then you'd end up dying so Nick worked to hide his vulnerability beneath sarcasm. Regardless, Nick couldn't force any of the snide words past his lips… not with Ellis' doe eyes staring him down the way they were; not when the kid seemed legitimately scared. Nick rolled his eyes as he kept the zombies at bay with his pistol. He purposely bumped Ellis' shoulder with his good one.

"We're going to be just fine. You're going to make it out of this Ellis." Nick didn't know where his sappy, impossible promises came from. It was like some hidden heart now had a direct line to what his mouth said instead of his more logical, cruel and calculating brain. Why would he say they would be fine when they most certainly would not? Zombies poured in on all sides and it didn't look like there would be rescue. Even Abby was starting to wear down and the zombies didn't even go after her. She could have just stood off to the side and watched if she wanted.

"You really think we can survive this?" Ellis fought alongside Nick's injured side, keeping the zombies from reaching his weakened teammate.

_No._ "I know we can." Nick said, giving a stomach twisting, sickly sweet smile. Well if it got Ellis to grin, what could it hurt? The wave had died down to stragglers again which Abby finished off while the survivors attempted to regroup. Bandaging wounds and checking over everyone each had noticed a dead look, a look of resignation, had come into their eyes. Even though Nick had said they'd be fine Ellis knew better. They all knew… they weren't going to last another wave. Nick's shoulder was really slowing him down and the rest of the survivors were getting beat down as well.

Nick found himself staring into Ellis' eyes and two quick strides had him tugging the mechanic into his arms. Nick grabbed at Ellis' hair roughly, ramming the hick's mouth into his. Ellis let out a grunt of surprise before responding just as violently, strong callused hands gripping and clawing at Nick's back as his lips worked furiously against Nick's. The warm wetness of Ellis' tears dripped down, leaving marks on Nick's stained shirt and running wet trails down Nick's cheeks as well (because there was no way Nick was crying).

Nick took initiative and swiped his tongue into Ellis's mouth, forget permission. Their tongues wrestled for dominance as fingers tangled in hair and one very hillbilly hat was knocked to the ground. The warmth of kissing Ellis filled Nick and he couldn't stand the thought of not discovering more of Ellis: his weaknesses, his sweet spots, just becoming well acquainted with his body in general. They broke apart, sucking in air and clinging to each other.

"This is BS. We made it so far. We almos' made it." Ellis whispered, lips swollen and tear coated lashes brushing against his cheek.

"I know." Nick brushed his thumb along Ellis' cheek, wishing he could freeze this moment forever. Dizzyingly unselfish thoughts of what he'd give up for Ellis to continue living flashed across his mind as he tried to come to grips with the end of their survival attempt. He could hear Rochelle's broken sobs and Abby had come over to them, hugging their legs uncertainly. Nick wondered fleetingly what she would do once they were gone.

"It was nice workin' with all of you." Coach murmured in resignation.

"I couldn't have picked a better team." Rochelle agreed.

"It jus' ain't fair… y'all are like family ta me. You _are_ family. This is no' the endin' I was hopin' fer." Ellis' hand was wrapped very tightly in Nick's.

"For your sakes, I hope there is an afterlife." Nick attempted his old, sarcastic humor but it came out dead, leaving a bad taste in his mouth. Grim smiles were received for his effort but it didn't do much to crush down the panic as the next wave could be seen racing towards them. The 4 survivors and their little tag along stood together, united against what looked like the end…

"I can picture my life so well I can almos' hear the whirrin' of the tractor motor when pa had ta fix it." Ellis mumbled, his eyes shut tight, his fingers squeezing the blood out of Nick's.

"You're imagining so loudly I can hear it too." Nick joked as he attempted to imagine what Ellis was seeing. Warm sunlight probably; an old beat up tractor with a death rattle engine; watching someone Nick pictured as an older Ellis working to get the tractor to run again; warm grass underfoot…

There was silence from the little group as thundering feet were rivaled with one saving sound.

"It couldn't be…" Rochelle wiped at her eyes, trying to find the source of what could be a cruel trick of the imagination. Ellis squeezed Nick's hand when a dark shape came into view, coming faster than the horde.

"We can't all be hallucinating, right?" Coach mumbled as the helicopter came into complete view.

"Maybe we all died." Nick muttered, noticing his hand had gone numb from Ellis' grip.

"I knew the midnight riders would save us." Coach and Ellis said in unison. Starry looks came into their eyes as the impending doom of the horde racing behind the helicopter was forgotten. Abby gripped both Nick and Ellis' legs tightly, possibly a little fearfully. She seemed to understand that the helicopter was a good thing, however, and stood bravely as it came close enough that a voice could be heard over all the other chaotic noise.

"Hurry up, Hurry up!" Was shouted down to them as a ladder was lowered. Rochelle scampered up the rope with agility and ease. Coach swallowed and gestured the others to hurry and climb up. Nick went next, nimbly making it up to watch Ellis go up as well, Abby clinging to his back. As soon as Coach was standing on the bottom of the ladder the helicopter pulled up, away from the approaching zombies. Coach clung to the rope for dear life, climbing much slower than the others. Once the helicopter was out of reach of the approaching horde it stayed still so that Coach would have an easier time climbing up. Ellis watched Coach with worry until the bigger man finally made it safely inside.

The helicopter was a large, double bladed army machine. It was fairly roomy with seats on the opposite side of the door where Rochelle and Coach sat. Ellis and Nick were still hovering near the door, lost in their sense of relief.

"Well that sure was a close call." Came the voice from earlier. "Is everyone ok?"

"Fine now, thanks to you." Rochelle said through tears of joy. She and Coach had taken seats while Ellis and Nick stared down at the zombies shrinking into the distance. Abby nuzzled Ellis' neck, making Ellis chuckle and Nick pat her head. A dark realization came to Nick.

"Ellis… what are we going to do with Abby?"

"Wha' do ya mean?" Ellis' expression conveyed complete confusion.

"I doubt anything good will come from bringing her with to CEDA.. or where-ever we're being taken. Do you want her to be experimented on? Or they might just kill her, just to save themselves the trouble. They might kill us too, just for being in contact with her." Ellis' eyes widened slowly, with either horror or realization. Maybe both.

"Mr. Pilot, Sir?" Ellis asked, attempting manners even though his heart was lodged in his throat.

"Yes?" The pilot responded, good-naturedly.

"Where're we goin'?"

"Don't you worry, son. You'll be safe now."

"But where is safety?" Ellis insisted.

"Well CEDA was able to build a safe area, a place free from zombies while they work on freeing the world of the plague." The pilot sounded warm and friendly, almost fatherly. Ellis still wasn't sure if he'd noticed what Abby was yet. They'd done a good job of hiding it earlier, without even realizing just how handy that would be.

"It's jus' tha' we have a member in our group tha-" Nick cut in quickly before Ellis said the wrong thing.

"One of our group has been bit and though they don't show signs of changing, we want to know how CEDA reacts to possibly infected."

"Oh." Was all the pilot said. There was quiet in the helicopter except for the steady whirring of the blades as they headed away from the carnival. "I'm sorry to say that CEDA doesn't care. If there's any chance you're sick they take care of you… in the way where no one will ever be seeing you again. I suggest you say goodbye to whoever's been bit…"

Ellis was stricken with pain as he looked at Abby. In some dark, logical part of his brain it made sense. Sacrifice the one for the many… but there was no harm in Abby. She was such a well-mannered little thing… not to mention he owed her his life… but then she could also be carrying the disease in an airborne way. Then again, wouldn't that have infected him and the others? Maybe they were immune… but CEDA had probably saved many who hadn't really been open to the infection… chaos would ensue if something infected was brought in.

What could Ellis do? He couldn't just leave Abby… but he couldn't survive out there on his own, even with Abby's help… and he couldn't ask the others to give up sanctuary just because of his love for Abby. He couldn't put them in the ever constant danger of dying. What was he going to do?

Ellis fell to his knees, letting Abby down from his back slowly as Nick finally closed the door on the helicopter. Tears pooled in Ellis' eyes as he looked at Abby… she had saved his life.

Nick could see the war going on within Ellis but had no words of comfort. He could see no solution to this problem. Either way it was risking death.

"I'm really sorry about whoever you're going to lose." The pilot's voice was anguished. "I've had personal loss in that way as well. My wife was bit before making it to an evacuation unit with our daughter. There were no questions asked when they rounded up the people bit… They told me that I was lucky they decided to save my daughter. Many other families had not been so lucky."

Ellis felt his heart break for the man and his loss. He blinked his eyes to prevent more tears but when he opened them he noticed steady streams falling down Abby's face. There were tears mingling with the blood. Abby was smart… she probably realized what awaited her if she stayed with them. There was no way out now… they couldn't just drop her off… could she fend for herself? But lowering to the ground would put everyone in danger all over again.

"If the one bitten wants to try and fend for them-selves, I can try dropping them off somewhere." The pilot offered quietly, as if reading Ellis' mind. The helicopter flew low over city buildings at the moment, giving the survivors a chance to take in just how awful the damage was. It was all too much like how cities in the zombie movies looked… buildings on fire and car crashes lying scattered beneath them.

"Wait… so there were people who were bitten who showed no signs of changing?" Rochelle cut in sharply. She was upset about the fate awaiting Abby, sure… but that realization hit her hard.

"Well of course, didn't you say there was one in your group?"

"So why shoot them? What if they had some immunity to the disease?"

"Maybe I should rephrase. They hadn't shown any signs _yet_. For some people it takes a very long time for the disease to take over." The pilot said quickly. "And who said anything about shooting? They were rounded up for experiments."

"So maybe they're attempting to find a cure?" Rochelle put in.

"Anything is possible but would it be better for your friend? Having your friend experimented on until they finally do succumb and then being taken out back and shot or maybe tested on more? That's not a peaceful way to die in my opinion. If I ever get bit I hope someone will do me the mercy of putting a bullet between my eyes."

The survivors were silent. Was it better to take the chance that the scientists would find out more about Abby? Wouldn't it end the same for her? They'd learn what they could and then when they were done with her, they'd kill her. Would she give herself up for science? Ellis figured it would be best to ask Abby. Before he had a chance however, the helicopter swerved dangerously as something collided with the side.

Swaying back and forth the helicopter threw the passengers from side to side. The weapons were scattered everywhere and the survivors fought to keep their feet beneath them. There was another thud and the helicopter dropped a few feet. A wrenching sound filled the air as the door was pried open.

"Aw shit!" Ellis said, scrambling for a weapon. A hunter was tearing the door open, inch by inch. Ellis saw a gun that had slid next to the door and dove for it, pulling it up to shoot. It clicked… empty. The hunter had the door open by now and Ellis stumbled backwards, searching for another weapon.

The Hunter faced off with them, prowling through the door. Abbey shoved something into Nick's hand before barreling at the Hunter, her teeth closing around the hunter's throat. They rolled around for a moment as the hunter fought to get Abby off of itself. The helicopter was still swaying and Rochelle and Coach, figuring Abby could handle the hunter, grabbed their weapons and headed toward the front of the helicopter, fighting to keep their balance.

A panicked yell from the pilot alerted them to the other intruder. At a particularly violent swerve Coach was knocked to one knee and Abby and the Hunter were sent rolling towards the open door. Nick and Ellis were slammed on either side of the doorway while Rochelle finally made it to the front, shooting the hunter climbing through shattered glass, where a window used to be.

Righting the helicopter made the Hunter Abby was battling lose its balance and it tumbled to the side, towards Ellis. Abby jumped in front of Ellis and attacked, knocking it back. She didn't even have a chance for a backwards glance as both she and the hunter fell backwards, disappearing into the darkness.

"ABBY!" Ellis cried out, lunging after her. Nick caught his arm just in time, pulling him back from the partially open door. Nick held the mechanic back, afraid that Ellis might jump out of the Helicopter after her.

"What happened?!" The pilot's panicked voice carried back to them. They saw more than felt helicopter rise farther into the air, away from the city buildings.

"NO! ABBY! Nick, Let Go Of Me!" Ellis struggled, finally socking Nick in the jaw before clambering to the edge. Ellis swallowed thickly, not believing it. How could someone be there one second and then gone the next?

Nick sat up, rubbing his jaw. His other fist was still clenched firmly around what Abby had given him. Still massaging the sore spot he opened his hand to find both Ellis' and Abby's hats lying crumpled in his palm. The pain that shot through him was all too similar to the pain he had felt when he had lost Ellis. Now they had lost Abby… and even if Nick figured he had an idea of what Ellis was feeling he was sure that the only comparison he could make is the pain Nick had felt when he thought Ellis was dead.

Ellis stared at the blackness below, trying to see any sign of life. Logically he knew that they had already moved passed where Abby had fallen and were too far up to see her, besides, but his heart attempted to find solace. In his wide eyed stare he could not feel the tears that slipped from his eyes and down his cheeks. In the numb shock that fogged his brain he didn't even notice when Nick slid up beside him and pulled him against his chest.

"Is everything ok back there? Hello?" The pilot asked again. Rochelle looked back to find Ellis and Nick clinging to each other and noticed the lack of Abby. She put the pieces together and felt her own heart plummet.

"It was a hunter." Coach choked out. All 4 survivors were shell shocked. In an instant they had lost a member of their group. Of course it could be argued that she had just joined the group but it already felt like something was missing without her.

"How the hell did they get up here?! Did you guys take care of it? One of you guys took care of the one that was up here."

"The one that was bit… saved us." Rochelle whispered. Silence showed that the pilot had heard.

Nick cradled Ellis, clinging to the mechanic in a way that on any other day he would say was pathetic. He stroked lovingly through Ellis' hair, trying to withhold his own tears.

Ellis' eyes stared blindly, barely registering Nick. He felt something placed in his hand but he didn't respond. The image of Abby disappearing from sight kept playing across his vision. He blinked a few times, forcing himself to look down and finding Abby's hat clenched tightly in his hands. Something broke inside of him and he let out a sob, turning his face into Nick's shirt.

"She died a hero Ellis. Don't forget that ok? She died to save us… so you can't give up on us now." Nick murmured. He hoped his voice hadn't broken as many times as he thought it had. He wanted to sound strong and certain… he wanted to be Ellis' rock right now… but he was having trouble dealing with the truth as well. She was gone… she was really gone… right when Nick had started to warm up to her.

Ellis didn't respond verbally. His voice wasn't working right now… not with whatever was lodged in his throat. He gave a slight nod, showing Nick's words had registered. Clinging to Abby's hat tightly Ellis wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, burying his face in the gambler's shoulder. All the pain and fear he had been feeling all rushed out at once as Ellis cried into Nick's shoulder. His mom was gone, his friends were dead, his town was destroyed… he had nothing.

"Shhh." Nick mumbled and Ellis could feel the gambler stroking his hair. He could feel the safety of the other arm that was wrapped around him. Maybe he wasn't so alone. Pulling back to look at Nick, Ellis saw the tears falling from the other man's face.

Nick closed his eyes, willing the tears to go away… He couldn't stand the burning ache behind his eyes, it only signaled weakness to him. Yet he couldn't stop the flow… The ache in his heart saw to that. He squeezed his eyes tighter and rested his forehead on Ellis' shoulder.

Ellis sat and contemplated. His heart wasn't any less broken at the loss of Abby but he still had Nick, Rochelle, and Coach. They were headed for safety, finally. God would take care of Abby (he just knew He would, Abby had done a lot of good even while her body was tormented by disease). As much pain as he was in… he and his friends were making it out of this alive. Ellis pulled Nick closer and the two sat quietly, lost in the comfort they found in each other.

Ellis inhaled deeply, nuzzling into Nick's shoulder. The warmth that radiated from the other man was calming, numbing away some of the pain. Fingers still stroked soothingly through his hair as he clung to the only thing keeping him grounded in reality. Nick sat up a bit and pulled them near the bench, leaning against the wall near it. He pulled his knees up and pulled Ellis to nestle between them, head resting on the gambler's chest. Ellis looked at the hat he still had lovingly clutched between his fingers, thumbs running softly over the bill. Not wanting to bring on any tears again he put it in his pocket, unsnapping the loop (the part used to change the size of the hat) and hooking it through one of his belt loops before re-snapping it back together. This way, if it fell out of his pocket he still wouldn't lose it.

Rochelle collapsed next to Coach, a couple tears escaping her eyes as she came to grips with the loss. Coach just shook his head in sadness.

"At least… this way… she won't be experimented on." Rochelle whispered.

"I doubt her death was how Ellis wanted to solve-" Nick responded darkly until Ellis pressed a finger to the gambler's lips.

"Shhh." He murmured, sliding his thumb across Nick's lower lip. The gambler kissed Ellis' thumb softly before huffing out a sigh and setting Ellis' hat snugly on his head. Ellis smirked, pushing the brim back a bit before grabbing a fist full of Nick's suit and kissing him soundly. When Ellis pulled back Nick's face wore a smirk as well.

"You doing ok, Overalls?" Nick intoned, brushing his thumb along Ellis' jaw.

"Depends on whatcha mean by 'ok'." Ellis' voice was gravelly with bottled pain.

"I mean," Nick took a firm grip on Ellis' face, locking gazes with him. Clouded blue eyes connected with cool jade. "Are you _Ok_?" Nick's eyes searched his face before settling on his eyes again.

"I dunno yet, Nick. I'm thinkin' I'll be sorta ok… I'm thinkin' I'll live through this… but I'm really gonna miss Abby. She is… _was_ becoming my world. Now 's almos' like someone stole my sun an' left me in the dark." Ellis' smile was grim but sincere. Nick's hands traced the arch of the mechanic's brow and Ellis closed his eyes.

"Whether you believe me or not, I know what you mean." Nick whispered, brushing away the tears that had escaped Ellis' blue, oh so blue, eyes.

"Have we told you Ellis? How Nick reacted while you were gone?" Coach asked in an attempt at a teasing tone. He continued without waiting for an answer. "If I hadn't known better I would have thought someone had snaked Nick out of all his money, beat him up, and left him in some dark alley."

Nick rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to think about his break down when he had lost Ellis, thank you very much. And in his defense… that had happened to him before. Losing Ellis felt worse. A _lot_ worse.

"You missed me." It wasn't a question and Nick smiled as Ellis tugged him in for another kiss. Ellis' fingers tangled into his hair, pulling on it gently. Nick groaned low in his throat and a thrill rushed up Ellis' spine from the sound. He shivered into the kiss, tongue tangling with Nick's.

"You guys…" Coach grumbled. The bench squeaked as he shifted his weight so his back was to the two infatuated males. Rochelle giggle-hiccuped, reducing her silent tears to a watery smile.

"Sometimes I envy them. As long as they've got each other, I don't think anything can stop them." Rochelle smiled at the two men before looking away, feeling like she was intruding on a special moment between them.

Ellis pulled away first and snuggled into Nick's shoulder.

"What do ya think i's gonna be like… livin' in a society again?" Ellis murmured thoughtfully.

"Well it's probably not going to be a normal society. Who knows if we'll even be on land or on boats." Nick responded, chin resting on Ellis' shoulder.

Rochelle had slightly expected the Pilot to jump in with an answer but he stayed quiet. Maybe he was still considering the loss of their brave team member or maybe he hadn't heard the conversation at all.. Rochelle thought about it. Maybe Ellis and Nick were talking too quietly for the pilot to hear. She kind of doubted it though.

"Wha's it like to live on a boat? Where'd we get food?"

"Oh for goodness sake, Overalls! How am I supposed to know? We haven't really ever been in this situation before.. and every time I've ever been on a boat I was too busy gambling to really pay attention…" Nick frowned at himself, slightly annoyed with his previous self. Ellis reached up and rubbed at the crinkle in Nick's brow until he released his scowl.

"I dunno. I figured you'd have an idea. Why'd ya gamble so much Nick? Mah always said tha' gamblin' was the surest way to lose money."

"I don't know anymore, Ellis. I'm starting to realize just how much time I wasted. Maybe it was the thrill of cheating other people out of their money. Maybe it was the risk, though I do have a pretty convincing poker face… I didn't lose too often. Maybe I did it because people expected me to… sometimes people's expectations play a part even when you don't realize."

"Were ya always an unsavory character?" Ellis asked. He had taken one of Nick's hands in his and had been following the creases in his palm, drawing random patterns into the skin.

"I don't think so. I'd like to say there was a point in which I was a fairly decent guy… After all the trouble with my family I guess people just expected me to take a wrong turn and I did… and I got addicted to it. It was just living true to my human nature."

"What'dya mean by that?" Ellis frowned for a moment, not liking what he was understanding.

"I think there's darkness in every human soul, Ellis. Or at least I did…. Then again I doubt I've ever met anyone as naïve or innocent as you. Anyway, I figured I was being true to my human nature when other's hid it."

"That jus' doesn' make a lick a sense to me." Ellis hunched his shoulders, leaning a little away from Nick. "Tha's no' wha' I was told at all. Mah said Evil was Satan playin' tricks on your mind."

"Your mom had it right, then." Coach agreed. Ellis shook his head.

"I don' think it's just Satan. I think Satan is temptation, putting the thoughts at the back of your mind." Ellis mumbled, looking a little sheepish.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Nick asked, still a little perturbed in Ellis' absolute faith in God. Even before this whole violent cannibalistic fiasco Nick had not been a religious man. It wasn't due to the fact that he had had a rough life… and it wasn't for lack of it being taught to him. God just wasn't plausible to him… just wasn't real in his mind. He felt God was something the Government used to control the masses. A pretty image to hide what they were really up to.

"No, it's not." Ellis said slowly. "Temptation is different from evil because you can be tempted into doin' somethin' good, though tha' wouldn' be on Satan's behalf. Either way, wha' ya allow yerself to be tempted into is what makes ya a good er bad person. Say if your mind whispered to ya that it would be awfully nice to take that necklace an' no' pay fer it an' ya did, then you'd be doin' somethin' evil. If you ignored it, though, and either paid fer it or jus' walked on past then you did good."

"What if someone _had _to steal the necklace?" Rochelle asked, knowing from personal history that sometimes you had to go to drastic measures when hard times came along.

"Why wouldja hafta steal a necklace?" Ellis asked. Nick kept his face smooth as much as he wanted to laugh. For all of Ellis' complexities and wandering thoughts he sure did miss quite a bit about life.

"Well what if you had to feed your family and the only way you could get money was to steal the necklace so you could sell it and get the food your family needs?" Rochelle suggested.

"Wouldn' it jus' be easier to steal the food?" Ellis suggested. Nick did laugh at that. The best part was the confusion written ever so clearly on the hick's face.

"He's got you there, Ro'." Nick said, sliding his thumb along Ellis' neck fondly. Sometimes the kid really amazed him.

"That wasn't the question, Ellis." Rochelle rolled her eyes. "Would it be wrong?"

"Well… now I think we get inta a gray area of right an' wrong. The reason fer stealin' the necklace may be a little more honorable but it would still be the wrong thing to do. Even desperate there's always a good way to fight through. Tha's what Mah always said. 'Ain't no reason to ever do wrong willfully', she'd say. 'If ya have faith in the Good Lord Above he'll getcha through just as long as you keep on tryin' your best to live by him an' follow his rules.'"

"Gray area, Ellis?" Coach asked. He had been nodding in agreement at the words Ellis' mother would say, waiting for his chance to ask. He hadn't really ever thought of there really being anything inbetween right and wrong. It was either right, or it was wrong.

"Well yeah. The world isn' black an' white, 's got all sorts a colors and shades. You can't always say somethin' is either one or the other. Tha's like sayin somethin' is _only_ sweet or _only _spicy when in fact there's food tha's both sweet an' spicy."

"I've never heard that before." Coach mumbled. He wasn't quite sure if he liked this new complication of the world. He had had enough trouble when it was just black and white… why can't things just stay simple.

"I've never heard it said that way before. Food analogy… very interesting, sweetheart." Rochelle said, smiling at the mechanic fondly. Seriously, Ellis could have some deep philosophical thoughts when he paused to really consider life or share his opinion. And then there was the Ellis that would see the Kiddieland sign and be excited… two opposites in one person… well like Ellis said, the world isn't black and white. Rochelle had known that for a long time.

"I never really thought of it being in color. I just figured it was black, white, and a whole lot of gray area." Nick interjected his thoughts.

"Nick, are ya colorblind an' ya didn't tell me?" Ellis said, turning his head to nuzzle Nick's cheek fondly.

"Ellis, don't make me hurt you." Nick grumbled.

"Jus' askin'." Ellis grinned innocently.

"No. I'm not colorblind." Nick bit out.

"Then why wouldja say that the world is only shades a black an' white? Don'tcha see the color everywhere?"

"Yeah but the world being black and white is a metaphor… you know… not literal?"

"I know what a metaphor is. Thank you." Ellis poked Nick's cheek before he continued tracing swirls and spirals into Nick's palm. "But I think it makes more sense if the world is in color too. I's jus' too complex to stick with black, white, an' gray. Even multiple grays."

Not having too much trouble agreeing with that Nick shrugged and pulled Ellis closer, finding a more comfortable position. Rochelle and Coach had nothing more to interject, both chewing through their own thoughts.

An hour or two was spent in relaxed, companiable silence.

Strange noises started sounding from the front of the helicopter and the 4 survivors got up to see what was going on.

"Hey… ev'rethin' ok up there, Mr. Pilot, sir?" Ellis asked uncertainly.

"Dammit…. *groans* I knew that last save *ugh* would be risky… *crash*…. Tell my daughter… I love… her!" The words faded into more groans and thrashing noises could be heard from the front. Nick grabbed for a gun.

Blank, glazed eyes turned back to stare, unseeing, at the survivors. With an inhuman wail the zombie pilot charged.

BANG

Nick had cleanly put a bullet in the zombies head as he scrambled to the front of the helicopter.

"How do you drive this Goddamn thing?" He shouted, glaring at the different dials and buttons as if an answer would appear.

"You jus'… shot the pilot…" Ellis said, dazed.

"He was a _zombie_, Overalls. That's not the problem at hand though, We are Going Down!" Nick's shout was the only warning before the survivors were thrown to the ground. The helicopter shuddered and twisted as it crashed through tall trees. The survivors were tossed around before finally hitting the floor hard as the helicopter skidded to a stop.

"Is everyone alright?" Nick asked, standing up shakily. Blood dripped from a cut above his brow were he had bashed his head against the dash. He scanned for his other crash-mates, taking in Coach and Ellis' location. Somehow Rochelle had gotten thrown out along the crash and lay a few feet from the helicopter.

"Mmmmph." Was all Ellis could get out as he struggled to his feet. He fell back on one knee for a moment, clutching at his head. He really wished the world would stop spinning.

"I'm still alive.. if that counts for anything." Coach said, stumbling to his feet. He started collecting weapons but tripped and fell against the side of the helicopter.

"I may have hyper extended my arm." Rochelle said, getting gingerly to her feet and clutching at her right arm. "Other than that I should be ok." She attempted to brush mud off herself with her left arm. Finding it futile and giving up, she gingerly moved her right shoulder before flinching. "No, I definitely have. No broken bones though. I guess I should be thankful."

Nick helped Ellis to his feet as they collected their weapons, strapping up and heading out.

"Where are we, anyway?" Rochelle asked, looking around. The area looked very much like a swamp. The ground was soft and squishy beneath their feet. Murky bodies of water could be seen in different areas and trees were everywhere. The canopy was so thick that only dapples of sunlight could break through. At least it was sunny… with everything else that had happened it might as well be raining… or be night already… That would not help their situation.

"I don't really know." Coach said, looking around.

"I doubt we're near the camp." Nick said, always the optimist. He kept a strong grip on Ellis, helping to support the off balance mechanic.

"Ya never know!" Ellis said, the real optimist. He grinned, bumping his hip against Nick's. Nick rolled his eyes and considered dropping Ellis for a moment, knowing he was one of the main reasons the kid was still on his feet. Thinking better of it, he gripped the arm around his shoulders firmly before poking the hick soundly in the ribs. Ellis let out a very manly giggle before giving Nick a look of annoyance. Nick smirked, before poking him again.

Ellis, being Ellis, couldn't hold the negative expression for very long.

"Let's just be on our guards. We don't know what to expect from this area…" Coach warned, entertained but also made weary by Ellis and Nick's slight rough housing.

"If we could just find a safe place to stay for the night we should be good to go, we can plan our next move from there." Nick agreed.

"Once again, off into the unknown!" Ellis exclaimed cheerily. Trying to keep some semblance of the renewed hope in their hearts, the survivors continued onward… praying that whatever they might be up against they would be ready for.


	13. Too Much, Too Fast

So for whatever reason I was on a role these last few days… I just couldn't stop writing. Don't start expected all the chapters to just start constantly updating… although I'm going to do my best I can't keep this kind of pace up… Sometimes you can write and sometimes you just can't. Also, we have reached 225 pages :D What do you think guys? And I'm worried I may only be half way to where I want to be… yikes and awesome at the same time. Also, in this story so far there is 104,101 words. Good times here :D Anyways, if you ever have any ideas or considerations you 'd like to toss in I always have an open mind but of course, no promises. Also, if there are any complaints (like if you think the characters are getting a little too OC or something) give me a heads up… sometimes, as a writer, I don't notice these things. Kudos if you read this :D Hope you enjoy :D

Chapter 13

"What the _Hell_ is that _thing_?!" Rochelle screamed as a strange monster rushed at them on all fours.

"A type a zombie… I'm thinkin'." Ellis said, shooting it down. Nick had noticed the kid was a little more distant but he figured maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

"Not like any zombie I've ever seen before!" Coach said as they got a closer look at their first assailant since the helicopter crash. It didn't look as humanoid as the common infected were but it didn't look as mutated as the special infected either.

"It looks like some sort of mud man that you'd see on a show about swamp people." Nick shrugged uninterested. As long as they weren't any more troublesome then the infected they had already faced he didn't really care. The only thing bothering Nick is he was ready to catch some sleep and they hadn't found a safe house anywhere yet.

"Swamp people?" Rochelle asked as they left the corpse lying on the ground.

"Well not everyone can live in a city..." Coach said lightly, in a more wondering tone as if he hadn't really considered it before.

"There're all sorts in this world." Ellis shrugged, wrapping an arm around Nick's shoulders in emphasis. Nick noticed that he flinched a little at the movement. They were all a little bruised up from the crash and they didn't have any health kits to heal anyone up. Nick smiled grimly at Ellis before he felt his eyes light up a little.

"Is that civilization in the distance?" Nick asked hopefully, seeing lights.

"Maybe! Maybe we made it!" Rochelle said, excited. The survivors quickened their steps, trying to keep their hopes down but feeling joy swell in their hearts at the possibility. As they got closer and the actual picture became clearer their steps slowed and they felt their moods slump into unhappiness and possibly a little fear.

"Maybe the disease really has spread everywhere…" Coach said sadly. Nick noticed Ellis' gaze drop to his feet as his expression fell.

"Since when are you the Pessimist? You're stealing _my_ job Coach." Nick joked in hopes to cheer Ellis up a little bit. At this point they were running on their moods so if everyone's moods hit rock bottom the chances of them surviving the night would be slim to none. Ellis glanced up at him through his lashes and a small smile appeared. Nick was ready to continue his attempt at being a comedian when more of the strange mud men came at them.

The air was full of bangs and thuds as the survivors took down their assailants. Nick felt himself shrug away some of his fatigue in relief when there still was no appearance of special infected. The strange swamp infected lay scattered around their feet.

Ellis had been observing the mud men as he shot them down. They were odd in the way they moved. They weren't graceful by any stretch of the imagination, having more of an animalistic rage to their movements, but there was still something lethal in their jerky movements. They were quicker than common infected but their only sure strength besides that was their speed in water. Rochelle had found that out the hard way as a mud man lunged at her from out of the depths of a murky body of water.

Having cleared out the immediate area of the shifty undead creatures the group moved on. They discovered what they had thought to be civilization were the remnants of a last stand. They were unsure yet as to what had really went down but there were a couple decently set up huts that would have to do for the night. As much fun as it would be to run around without being able to see, they opted out.

"Who is going to take first watch?" Coach asked wearily. Each survivor looked at each other, waiting. They waited for a little while, hoping someone else would volunteer. Ellis finally sighed.

"Ok, y'all. I can do it. You go get some sleep." Ellis said, grabbing some extra packs of ammo they had found stashed in the little shack and setting a chair near the door. He flopped down in it, cursing for a moment at the pain that shot through his body before shifting around, trying to get comfortable but not too comfortable. Nick groaned inwardly, not impressed with how nice Ellis was being. He had been ready to wait all night for Coach and Rochelle to give in… in fact Coach had looked just about ready to give when Ellis spoke up.

"You can get some sleep ya know, I don' needda baby sitter." Ellis mumbled softly, resting the shot gun he had chosen across his lap. Nick made sure to put his chair on the opposite side the gun was facing before he dropped down next to Ellis. He put in a little effort to scoot the chair closer but it seemed to stick to the floor and he gave up eventually, reaching over and taking Ellis' hand.

"If you're going to be the hero and stay up I'm just going to make sure you have back up. We don't quite know what to expect yet." Nick replied, settling down to wait out the long watch he wasn't remotely ready for. Ellis glared at him tiredly for a minute. When Nick didn't leave he let out a second sigh, but this one was more in relief.

"Thanks Nick. I'mma lil fraid a bein' alone ta be honest." He squeezed Nick's hand before releasing it so that he could pick up his chair and set it closer to Nick's. He even managed to make sure he didn't drop his gun in the act, catching it just as it was about to slip. The chair was right next to Nick's now so Ellis could shift closer to Nick. The gambler wrapped an arm around the mechanic's shoulder, pulling him close.

It wasn't long after Ellis' sigh of contentment that Nick heard his slow even breathing, showing that he was asleep.

"Of course." Nick whispered to himself. His inner voice scolded him, saying that's what he gets for not just looking out for himself.

Even so Nick smiled to himself, really happy with how easily Ellis seemed to trust Nick. Of course part of him threw in that he was also just really exhausted but Nick doesn't always listen to logic; especially not when it would take away his happy moment.

Brushing a few stray curls gently across Ellis' forehead Nick watched the locked door resignedly, listening to Ellis breathe slowly in and out. Nick's thoughts replayed the day to him. More than once he thought they were going to die but they had continually pulled through. When were they going to fail? What was going to happen when they lost another member of the team (when, not if… Nick figured it was seriously only a matter of time).

Nick decided that he would not lose Ellis. Even if it was against his nature he would give his life before he would let Ellis die. That was his final decision on the matter, no matter how much his inner voice scoffed at his stupidity. Nick couldn't explain why the kid had become so important… no one had ever really stuck to Nick's life. He had always just been able to move on… so what made this hillbilly mechanic so special?

He was pulled from his thoughts to take on a different thought route as he watched Ellis twitch in his sleep. His fingers would jerk randomly and his eyes would flicker while his breathing picked up in speed. Nick shook his head at the ridiculousness of it all and ignored the fact that part of him found it entirely adorable.

Nick's thought's wandered again, wondering what Ellis could be dreaming about. When he took in the fact that whatever it was, was distressing Ellis he pulled the mechanic closer, taking off his hat so that he could nuzzle his face into the kid's hair. Ellis settled down almost immediately, craning his neck to nestle his face into Nick's shoulder, breath puffing contentedly against Nick's neck. Nick withheld a tremor… he really needed to get rid of the sexual tension that was still held between him and Ellis. If it weren't for the whole 'exhausted' thing he probably would have made an attempt tonight. He doubted Ellis would be unwilling… Nick was really good at being convincing.

Time passed as slow as it did fast. While the minutes seemed to drag by, they also went by much faster than what Nick had noticed. He had been counting Ellis' breaths, reaching what he assumed were about 15 a minute, when Ellis had cuddled even closer, knocking his gun to the ground. Ellis was practically sitting in his lap at this point and that caused as much pleasure as it did annoyance for Nick. The kid had one leg swung across both of his, face still resting in the crook of Nick's shoulder, arms wrapped securely around Nick. For the most part Nick was glad that the gun hadn't decided to go off and he tried to focus on that as his body attempted to react to Ellis' proximity.

Nick was able to keep his thoughts in a safe place and had been starting to doze off as well when Coach walked up to take the next shift. He grumbled to himself about needing to escape the apocalypse if only to be free of these two. He didn't sound too venomous so Nick wasn't worried as he grabbed Ellis' hat and carefully lifted him, heading in the direction Coach had pointed out.

"You must weigh about half a ton." Nick growled, frustrated. He had to focus on the weight so his mind wouldn't pay too much attention to how good the chorded muscle running down Ellis' legs felt in his hands. Nick mumbled his frustration because of course the kid had to fall asleep in an awkward position and then Nick had to be the gentleman and not wake him up. He would definitely get the kid back for all the trouble he put Nick through.

He tried not to heave the kid onto the bed yet, even with the less than comfortable landing, Ellis still didn't wake up. Nick slipped the kid's shoes off before taking off his own and his jacket. There weren't any blankets on the slightly-larger-than-hospital-sized cots so Nick set his jacket over the hick before curling up behind him, nosing and shifting until he had found a comfortable spooning position. It seemed like CEDA had at least made the attempt to help these swamp people but had ultimately failed when the disease hit, Nick guessed.

Huffing out a sigh and shivering a little from the chill Nick closed his eyes and tried to rest his mind for a little while.

It seemed like a few minutes later he was being woken up (though, considering from the lighting it must have been a few hours). He moved his cramped limbs gingerly, realizing he had one arm wrapped snugly around Ellis and the other pillowing his own head. Their legs had gotten tangled somehow in the night and it took him a moment to realize what must have woken him.

Callused fingers stroked along Nick's arm as Ellis breathed at a normal awake person pace. Nick blew out a yawn before rubbing his nose against Ellis's shoulder, tightening his grip for a moment, and then letting his eyes close… he could definitely sleep for a few more hours without any complaint.

"Are you awake?" Ellis asked softly. Apparently Nick wasn't going to be allowed it, however.

"I am now." Nick breathed, trying to keep his grumpiness at bay.

"'m sorry." Ellis' stroking didn't lose the rhythm he had set but his breath hitched and Nick could feel the mechanic's heart beat against his arm.

"For what?" Nick asked, now completely grumpy.

"I took firs' watch but then you ended up stayin' awake anyway."

"Overalls….Don't fret. Seriously. Just. Don't."

"Ok Nick. 'm still sorry though. I'll make it up to ya, ok?"

"I'd be extremely thankful if you let me get a little more sleep." Nick hinted.

"Yeah… yeah ok."

There was a short silence but Nick could almost see the gears shifting in Ellis' brain.

"What is it, Ellis?" Irritation was boiling under Nick's surface but he was able to keep his cool on the surface.

"Do ya think we can really survive this? I mean… like Abby was there… an' then she jus' wasn't. 'm afraid tha's gonna happen to you… or Ro or Coach. I jus'. I don' wanna be alone."

Nick was suddenly pretty sure he knew what had been plaguing Ellis in his dream earlier.

"Obviously I can't make any promises." Nick said. Even if lies came easily to him this was more important than just keeping the kid happy. "I can only say that if I have any say in it, I won't be leaving you."

"Yeah?" Ellis sounded so relieved and hopeful it made some part of Nick's black hole of a heart ache.

"Yeah." Nick puffed out a breath, eyes drooping with invisible weights. "Now, go back to sleep. I would appreciate a little more rest before I have to face the hell this world has become."

"Ok." Ellis stopped tracing patters on Nick's arms to entwine their fingers. "And Nick?"

"Yeah Kid?"

"Thanks."

"Yeah. No problem." Nick's coherency faded out and sweet blackness surrounded him again, for at least a little longer.

Nick stretched out languorously before he panicked, realizing he was the only one lying on the cot. His hand reached out anyway, searching from one side to the other but it didn't make contact with anything. Nick sat up, rubbing at his eyes before he drowsily stepped out of bed. He had to hand it to the kid at least; it takes some really slippery movements to be able to escape the cot without waking Nick up.

"Ellis?" Nick mumbled out quietly, his voice still thick with sleep. Not quite awake but feeling adrenaline start to course through his veins he left the mini double bedroom to find Ellis in a 'Kiss the Cook' apron, still wearing Nick's white jacket, and had a line of delicacies on the counter. Coach and Rochelle were already seated at the table, digging in.

"Look, Sleeping Beauty has arisen!" Coach called out between mouthfuls. Nick ignored them, realizing he probably didn't look anywhere near his best. Just to get back at the comment, however, he strode over to Ellis and tugged the mechanic close. Kissing a line up his neck and along his jaw he let his hands slip down and rest against Ellis' lower back.

Nick felt a triumphant grin cover his face at a disgusted grumble from Coach. He didn't stop there though, feeling Ellis shift a little uncomfortably he pulled the mechanic's mouth swiftly to his, his other hand resting comfortably on Ellis' hip.

Ellis had been un-respondent for a minute but Nick didn't stop, coaxing Ellis' mouth open. That got Ellis and the sound of a spatula clattering barely registered in Nick's mind as Ellis pressed Nick against a counter and ravaged his mouth. Nick usually didn't like being on the receiving end but Ellis was quickly changing his mind about a lot of things.

As much control as Nick might have over his body he couldn't stop it from reacting to this side of Ellis. When he finally had to pull back for air Ellis nipped at his neck and he couldn't help the contented sigh that was released. Ellis even went so far as to put a leg between Nick's, adding only a little pressure.

"Ellis, your pancakes are burning." Rochelle coughed out. Ellis shot back from Nick, his face darkening from a debauched red to a dark dying-from-humiliation red. It went from his cheeks to his ears and down his neck. For Nick's part he took a moment to compose himself before taking a seat at the table, his cheeks only slightly flushed. He did, however, have to cross his legs slightly hoping he could get a moment to himself after breakfast to take care of what was quickly becoming a case of blue balls with Ellis.

Ellis had his head ducked down as he flipped the extremely crispy pancakes. He set those aside while he made a plate up for Nick.

"Ok Kid, I know you're magic but where did you find eggs and bacon that weren't.. like… expired?" Nick looked at his plate suspiciously.

"There was a freezer box lined with CEDA… and when I checked inside there were all these good things. I did all the things my momma always told me to make sure the food was still good and it passed. But you know, if you're worried… Rochelle and Coach have already eaten so if they get sick soon you don't have to eat it."

"Thanks a lot, Ellis." Coach jabbed.

"Hey, you're the one that horked it down before actually thinking." Ellis shrugged, giving an innocent grin. Nick caught the mischievous glimmer in Ellis' eye and gave the hick a discreet wink. He enjoyed watching the red return to Ellis' face. Coach just rolled his eyes, continuing his version of a human vacuum.

"By the way Ellis, how flexible did you have to be to escape the bed without waking me?" Nick asked as he cut up his pancakes.

"Gymnastic Flexible." Ellis said, deciding not to be cowed by Nick.

"Bet that could come in handy in more than one way…"

"It does." Ellis agreed. "Like you noticed, it allowed me to free myself from you without your notice."

Rochelle cleared her throat loudly. She wasn't sure where that conversation had been going but there are probably healthier breakfast conversations. Nick decided to take a risk on the eggs, taking a bite. They tasted ok for the most part… which meant either that freezer was magical or this stand had fallen recently. Maybe CEDA would be back shortly.

Nick kept catching glances from Ellis. Every time he noticed Ellis would blush but he wouldn't break eye contact which brought a smile to Nick's face. Ellis sat down to eat finally, having finished off the pancake mix.

"What did you put in these pancakes?" Nick asked. He knew… obviously… chocolate chips, it would take an idiot not to notice but he just wanted to hear Ellis talk for a little bit.

"I found a decent size bag a chocolate chips in tha' freezer too… an' I guess… I mean chocolate is so scarce tha' I figur'd it might be nice… 'm sorry if you don' like it, I didn' even consider…" Ellis voice was flustered.

"Kid, Kid! Calm down." Nick was actually perfectly happy with the kid's nervousness. "I never said it was a bad thing!"

"You didn' have to. Your face did."

"So what does this expression say to you?" Nick asked, going for one of his annoyed expressions. One of his eyebrows was raised and his mouth was pulled down at one corner.

"'Shut Up Ellis.'" Ellis said simply. "Come on Nick, tha's too easy."

"Ok, well what about this one?" Nick relaxed his eyebrows and stretched a smile across his face.

"Tha's nice but 'm no' really listenin'." Ellis grinned.

"You're pretty good." Nick conceded. "But… can you figure out _this_ one?" Nick gave his best seductive glance, the kind that had gotten a lot of women in his bed.

"This is ridiculous." Coach said, grabbing the rest of the bacon and leaving the room. Rochelle gave a stutter of annoyance at Coache's robbery of bacon and got up to follow him. Ellis was silent as we looked at Nick's face for a moment.

"I… dunno. You've been makin' it a lot, though." Ellis mumbled.

"Aw, come on Overalls. Not even a guess?"

"Coveralls." Ellis muttered. "I dunno, really. You jus' look confused to me." A snort could be heard from the other room.

"Oh Kid, you are so clueless." Nick, having finished his food and feeling contentedly full, stood up from the table. He walked over to where Ellis sat and pulled his chair out from the table, throwing a leg over Ellis' two and sitting down, elbows resting on Ellis' chest.

"N-Nick… 'm still eatin'." Ellis gestured at his only half finished plate. Ellis tried not to panic at Nick's proximity… it's not like he didn't like it; he was enjoying it way too much and his body was responding (not to mention it's response to Nick's attack earlier hadn't quite worn off yet).

"Shhhh, I can see that." Nick said, shifting around a little until he was a little more comfortable. He really wasn't the one to be instigating… he really hated to seem desperate. Ellis bit his lip for a moment, looking uncertainly at Nick.

"No need to look at me like that." Nick was a little affronted. Ellis made the attempt to school his face into a semi calm. "You can trust me."

"Pffft, Yeah! Right!" Coach shouted from the other room.

"Good to know he can hear us." Nick said in an undertone. Nick reached out and grabbed Ellis' plate, leaning back a little bit to get a better angle. He discovered that he wasn't the only one dealing with blue balls.

"A little excited, huh?" Nick grinned darkly before he offered a forkful of egg and pancake to Ellis. He was still eyeing Nick uncertainly. Ellis opened his mouth anyway, accepting the food.

"Nick… I feel kinda childish with ya feedin' me an' all." Ellis spoke softly.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really." Ellis looked away and refused to open his mouth again when Nick brought up another forkful of food.

"Do you really want to play this game?" Nick asked, pushing his hips just far enough forward so that electricity shot up Ellis' spine. Ellis gasped at the sensation and Nick shoved the food into his mouth. Ellis, attempting to shake off his ecstasy at the feeling glared at Nick. He had half a mind to spit the food back out… but… he was the bigger person and chewed slowly instead.

Ellis wasn't completely sure how far Nick wanted to take this and that more than worried him. Knowing Nick's tricks now, though, meant he could fight back. He once again refused to eat out of Nick's hands and reached around the gambler, grabbing a piece of bacon off of his plate and taking a bite.

"'m not a child an' I don' needja feedin' me." Ellis said, gesturing at the strip of bacon in his hand. Nick shrugged.

"Ok, Kid. If you say so." This earned a disgruntled noise from Ellis. Nick, deciding his plan really hadn't been flawless to begin with, conceded and rested his chin on Ellis' shoulder. Ellis, for his part, made sure not to drop anything on Nick as he finished up his breakfast.

"Nick… yer not mad at me or nothin'… right?" Ellis wrapped his arms around Nick, hugging him.

"No. Why would I be mad?" Nick asked against Ellis' neck. Ellis shivered, goosebumps rising on his arms from the sensations of Nick's lips against his skin.

"Well.. I dunno. I was jus' worried tha' ya might be I s'pose." Ellis ran his hands down Nick's back until they were resting on his hips.

"Hmph." Nick grumbled, running his nose along Ellis' neck. The mechanic shivered again, tilting his head to the side to give Nick more access. Nick accepted the invitation, kissing along it. Slightly curious if Ellis had any particular flavor he slid his tongue up the tan expanse of throat.

"Niiiick…" Ellis moaned softly. Nick was pleased with pulling a sound from Ellis but he wanted to make sure Coach and Rochelle heard him too, warning them to stay out of the way. Seeing the spot most people are extremely sensitive in, Nick attacked it tenderly, watching admiringly as the blood rose to the surface. Nibbling at the same area he put his best work into that one hicky, pulling out all the stops.

"Nnnn." Ellis mumbled out, his mind losing coherency as it was overloaded with pleasure.

"Oh come on now Ellis, say my name." Nick purred. A surge of lust poured directly into Ellis' veins. He was unable to speak, however; he was unable to get the name past his lips.

"Ellis…" Nick purred again, the rumbling low and sensual. He bit the hicky sharply, earning a whimper from Ellis before he ground his hips down hard.

"Niiiick." Ellis moaned louder. Nick felt as Ellis' hips gave an involuntary nudge upwards and he hummed in response. Nick figured that Coach and Rochelle now had the incentive to stay away and continued on, hips finding a steady thrusting rhythm against Ellis'.

Ellis' body had never been in so much pleasure and he wasn't quite sure how to react. His mind told him too much was happening too soon, all his nerves were shooting off like live wires. He was so pleasured he was almost in pain. Stars shot behind his vision and he tried to get it through to Nick that he needed this to slow down a little bit but his voice wouldn't do anything but let out little grunts and moans as his hands gripped Nick's hips tighter.

Nick still had his teeth sunk in the hicks neck without realizing it, his mind was being overloaded with desire. He just wanted to take the kid right now… but Ellis would probably never talk to him again if he did that. There was also the side note that Ellis was stronger than him and if the hick didn't want to do something, he could stop Nick from doing it. As he kept up his pace he wondered how close the kid was to cumming… Nick's thoughts paused a moment… is this really how he wanted Ellis' first time with him to be?

As Nick's body slowed, losing the rhythm, Ellis found his body reacting. It wanted more friction… it _needed_ more friction… Even if Ellis' mind was saying too much, too fast, his body was having a knee jerk reaction. Nick looked at Ellis in surprise as he got a better grip on Nick's hips and gave a strong thrust up.

Nick lost his train of thought at the sudden turn of lead roles. Shots of electricity were shooting through his body as he gasped out "Ellis", digging his fingers into Ellis' back.

At Nick's utterance of 'Ellis', Ellis' mind snapped back into consciousness and he jumped up, dropping Nick on his backside. He strode quickly from the room and Nick heard a slam, presumably the bathroom door. His sexual drive dropped just like that, as did his erection, at his confusion and slight hurt at Ellis' reaction. He stared after Ellis wondering what he had done.

Ellis stood with his back resting against the smooth wood of the door, the lock firmly in place. He was so confused about everything. He was already breaking two of his momma's rules (don't shoot at people although Ellis guessed that was arguable… and love was only ever between one man and one woman)… and he had almost broken a third. When Nick said Ellis was innocent he really had no idea. Sure Ellis had kissed other people before… well at least one other person… but his ma always told him that doing anything sexual outside of marriage was a sin. He's not quite sure what was going on with Nick and himself in the kitchen but he was pretty certain that if that wasn't as close to sex as you could get with your clothes still on he wasn't sure what was.

It was bad enough he was having romantic feelings for another man. His mom would be beyond disgusted with that. She was as straight laced and bible following as people could be and it was strictly against the bible to be with someone of the same sex. So why was Ellis having these feelings? Was he losing his fight to Satan's temptation? Was it a temptation he wasn't supposed to give in to? Was there some inescapable evil implanted in his soul?

Yet… it hadn't felt so wrong when he was in the middle of it. In fact it was the best rush his body had ever felt. But then again, gluttons got a thrill every time they ate right? People would risk their lives just to feel the thrill through their bodies. People gave into rage all the time, just because it felt good. So it stands to reason that being with Nick in that kind of way was wrong even if it didn't feel wrong. Why did it have to be Nick?

Ellis rested his face in his hands, murmuring apologies over and over to whoever might be listening. He said them to his ma and he said them to the Lord… he even said some to Nick. He hadn't meant to lead Nick on or anything… He just hadn't been thinking long term and when he had felt the fire building in his gut he knew he had to stop it before he committed one of the ultimate sins in his mother's eyes. What was he going to do?

Ellis slumped to the floor, sobbing as his bottle of feelings was uncapped. There were no tears shed, just silent wails of pain released as he sat on the dirt floor and discharged all that he had noticed, keeping it hidden in the dark corner of his mind. He had taken it upon himself to be the beacon of hope in the group and he couldn't do that if he let everything bring him down but there were moments where he wanted to just drop down and give up. He wouldn't though… he would keep going on without his mother and without Abby… and maybe even if he lost Nick. Would he be able to though? As much as he wanted to deny it Nick meant a lot to him. Ellis was at a loss… what was he going to do?

Nick hadn't moved from where he had been dropped, staring unseeing at where Ellis had disappeared. He was beyond confused… Usually it didn't bother him when this happened. He'd been rejected before… several times in fact… and yet when that happened he shrugged, thinking 'they're loss' before moving on to find someone else to lay. Since when did he get all mushy and actually start caring? That kid was going to be the death of him.

"What did you do to him?!" Rochelle accused as she and Coach sauntered back into the room. They seemed cautious of Nick blowing up. Otherwise, he supposed, they would have barreled in here at the first sign of trouble.

Nick stood up slowly, glaring at each of them in turn. Why does it automatically have to be his fault? He could have been the victim too… in fact he was pretty sure that he was, in fact, the victim this time around. He left them, thankful that the bathroom was nowhere near the bedroom. Bypassing the cot he and Ellis had shared he sagged into the other cot, turning his back to everyone and everything, staring at the darkness behind his eyelids. He didn't stay there long. Even if Ellis had done him wrong it was probably his fault somehow. It usually always was. Nick curled up in his and Ellis' cot, shoving his face deep into the pillow. In his defense only a few tears escaped. He hadn't quite become a wuss just yet.

Coach and Rochelle had to re-plan their strategy when they realized they would not be leaving that day. Nick was lying on the cot, unresponsive to anything Rochelle and Coach did or said and Ellis was still locked in the bathroom, ignoring any attempt at conversation.

Two days passed slowly, time ticking by with no responses from Nick or Ellis. Coach and Rochelle were getting to the point where they were considering leaving without them. As much as they cared about Ellis (and yeah, Nick had sort of grown on them) they weren't going to continue hanging around if all the two men wanted to do was waste away.

"Ellis? Honey, I have food and water here for you….Ellis?" Rochelle tried, telling herself if he didn't respond this time she would walk away. She had told herself this the last 4 attempts. Still she stood, tapping at the door… afraid of what she would find if Coach busted the door down.

"Look…Nick… whatever happened we need you to move on." Coach said, trying to reason with the man. Coach inwardly groaned as he once again received no response from the man with his face buried in a pillow.

"Ellis?"

"Nick, come on man. We can't do it alone."

"Ellis, we don't want to leave without you."

"Nick, you're twisting our arms here."

"Come on, Ellis. Please."

"Nick… we won't make it far without you."

"Ellis!"

"Nick…"

"Ellis…"

Nick was at the bottom of the lake of despair. Coach's words were rain on the surface, it didn't affect him. The kid still hadn't left the bathroom; hadn't told why he'd rejected Nick. Nick's mind couldn't compute, he was trapped in what seemed to be a perpetual shock. A mantra, not completely uncommon but one he hadn't heard in years, continually chanted through his mind. 'What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong?'

Nick was aware he was sulking. He was aware that if he didn't snap out of it Coach and Ro would leave… it'd be just him… and he would probably die. Would that be so bad? Would the Hell he was told about really be worse than the living Hell he faced every day? 'What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong?'

The old Nick, the survival instinct the gambler had locked away for Ellis, finally broke loose. Ripping away the soft cocoon of darkness it slammed into Nick's consciousness. Nick felt the blow so physically he fell off the cot. Lying on the ground, stunned, he listened as his mopey behavior was given a lashing.

The sudden movement startled Coach and he rushed around to see if Nick was alright. He watched as a war of emotions flitted across Nick's face. He wished he knew what was going on in Nick's mind.

Nick was shocked and disgusted with himself. How could he have taken a rejection so personally? For God's sake he had acted like some hormone driven teenager. What the Hell was happening to him? He stood up, shaking out all the pain and regret and fear he had obsessed over the past few days. He didn't need those emotions. Ellis didn't want him. Fine, he could deal. The world wasn't ending- technically.

Nodding at Coach as he passed he headed straight to the bathroom door. Glancing at Rochelle briefly was enough to have her step out of his way. Her eyes flickered to Coach's in worry and confusion but she didn't say anything.

Nick observed the door silently, aware that if he approached this wrong he could be looking at a 3 man team. Settling his fingers firmly around the handle Nick tested the obstacle, pulling lightly. Seeing the barrier as more of an illusion Nick jerked his arm back, wrenching the door open.

Lost blue eyes stared up at him in shock.

"N-N-N-Nick." Ellis stuttered. The apron had been tossed across the room but Nick's jacket was still lying loosely in Ellis' arms. Opening his mouth to speak Nick silenced him with a look.

"Whatever happened is behind us, Ellis." Nick wanted to slide in 'Whatever I did wrong' but realized that wouldn't help the situation and swallowed his inner drama queen. "It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters is surviving." Nick offered Ellis his hand. "So are you going to live, or are you not?"

Ellis stared at the hand a moment before his expression steeled. He nodded, taking Nick's hand and getting up. He looked down at the white jacket awkwardly but Nick was already gone, packing up everything they could use that wouldn't weigh them down.

They hadn't found any health kits in the area so each attended to their own wounds the best they could. Rochelle and Coach felt like they had to walk on egg shells around the other two. The tension in the air was almost visibly radiating from Ellis.

"Alright Ladies, let's get the hell out of here!" Nick said as they charged out the door into eerie silence. It was odd for the area to be completely empty… usually it was milling with zombies.

"Watch the water." Rochelle called. These mud men obviously worked differently from all infected they had encountered so far.

"Only go into the water when it's absolutely necessary." Coach informed.

"Translation: Never." Nick responded.

"Wouldn't want to stain your suit?" Rochelle teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Like there's anywhere left to stain?" Nick responded, glancing at the was-white jacket slung over Ellis' shoulder. Ellis remained quiet, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"Watch it!" Coach slammed into Nick, shoving them both into Ellis. The ground sizzled where Nick had just been standing and the ground bubbled green.

"Spitter!" Rochelle pointed behind them as the special infected approached them, throat gurgling unpleasantly.

"Aw Coach, you do care." Nick said, pushing himself up off the ground. He helped Ellis to his feet while Coach fired at the Spitter. The gurgling became even more unpleasant as the thing fell to the ground.

"There goes your girlfriend." Ellis muttered offhand.

"Dang, I didn't even get her number." Nick sighed, looking despaired for a moment. Ellis chuckled before his face schooled back into its 'I'm focusing' expression.

"Guys, we've got more trouble on the way!" Rochelle warned as a pack of mud men crept towards them. Menace seemed to be exuded by their movement and they leapt at the survivors in unison.

"Is it just me or do these things seem to get smarter?" Nick mentioned offhand as he knocked the mud man away with his gun, shooting it.

"Don't even joke." Coach groaned, having already finished off the two attacking him.

"'s interestin' to think bout, though." Ellis said thoughtfully. He was still fighting a mud man, both of them circling as Ellis tried to line up for a good shot. It pounced and he pulled the trigger. The force of the jump sent the corpse flying into Ellis and Nick caught the brunt of both the hick and the corpse slamming into him. He caught Ellis before the kid hit the ground, hauling him up and setting his hat back in its rightful position.

"Thanks." Ellis muttered before heading off to take the lead.

"Yep." Nick nodded as he followed, covering Ellis and Rochelle as Coach took the caboose.

"This place is so unsanitary." Nick whined, trying to slap off the slime that had somehow managed to get on his blue shirt. The white jacket had protected it for the most part but it was now slung over Ellis' arm, no longer a sludge barrier for Nick's blue shirt. It really sucked because the shirt was one of his favorites… women told him it made the sinister green of his eyes stand out. He shook his head in misery until they reached the end of the dock they had been following.

"I don't suppose another bribe with money would get anyone to carry me across this…" Nick stared unhappily at the bank of mud they'd have to work through to continue on their path.

"Oh you big baby." Rochelle scorned. Ellis took a stick nearby and checked the depth of the mud, showing the others that it was about knee deep.

"That is really going to slow us down. Don't lose formation." Coach said as he jumped into the mud, slopping it onto the other three and all over his clothes.

"Clean Clothes, will I ever know your heavenly glory again?" Nick murmured as he stood rooted to the dock. Rochelle and Ellis plunged in as well, shivering at the mud that was now squishing between their toes. The unpleasantness of it all.

Rochelle, Coach, and Ellis watched Nick as they waited. Rochelle crossed her arms in impatience as the gambler seemingly waited for the mud to disappear. Nick growled to himself as he held his breath, closed his eyes, and walked off the edge.

"Gah!" Was all he uttered as the mud swirled around his calves. He shuddered as he took a step forward, pushing through the mud.

The quartet travelled in silence for a little while, not running into too much trouble with infected. It seemed like there weren't too many Mud Men to begin with so there weren't too many to have turned. There also weren't any more occurrences of a possibly thought out attack but the survivors had more to worry about with possible evolution in the zombie mind.

"When will this mud end?" Nick groaned. His feet had gone numb from being in the cold mud for so long. Somewhere along his mental break through he had hit a compromise with his old self and his new-er-ish self. His personality now was like the bastard child of the two and he was stuck caring but being snarky… and now he was much more open to whining which annoyed everyone but probably annoyed Nick the most.

"If you stopped focusing on it so much it wouldn't be so bad." Coach pointed out, rolling his eyes at Nick. Rochelle shook her head at their foolishness but felt concern swell in her heart at Ellis' continued silence. She wondered what happened between the two men but she wasn't going to push it… it just wasn't her place to know unless they wanted her to.

"What else is there to focus on?" Nick asked, although he partially had a plan on that. His eyes flickered to Ellis who still clutched his jacket. He let his mind wander to question what the kid was up. When he looked back to Coach he could see the man's lips moving but he wasn't focusing on listening so nothing intelligible came across to him. It was probably just another lecture on how Nick could just get over himself.

Ellis watched the other three with a distant mind. Seeing Nick… he just wasn't sure what to do. Nick was right for one thing, they needed to continue on no matter what was going on between them. Still… Ellis really wanted to figure out where this was all going to leave him and Nick. If he dropped everything he'd been taught, stripped away everything in his mind to complete and emotional honestness, he wanted to be with Nick. But there were too many complexities… especially right now with them fighting for their lives to figure anything out.

Even in his lost state of mind Ellis was the badassed idiot that the group knew, running ahead and taking out enemies while also getting his sorry butt into spots of trouble every now and then. Still, the others seemed to handle getting themselves into trouble as well.

Nick wasn't even sure how he had ended up face first in the mud this time around but whatever had caused it had better be ready for a world of pain. Nick struggled to sit up but a weight on his back held him down and he was suffocating with his face in the mud. He flailed about, trying to get someone's attention and luckily, someone came to the rescue. Another minute passed and then the weight was gone from his back and Nick was pushing himself up, gasping for breath. Somebody was pulling him up by his elbow, wiping some of the mud away from his face.

"Can ya see at all, yet?" A familiar voice asked in his ear as he rubbed at the mud in his eyes. Spitting out the mud he had gotten in his mouth he blinked grit from his eyes, looking at Ellis.

"Hi Ellis." Nick grinned stupidly, feeling the grit rub between his teeth. That must really be attractive at the moment.

"Didja hit yer head?" Ellis was looking at Nick with concern.

"Behind you!" Nick said, pulling Ellis out of the way. Nick was knocked into the mud _again_. At least this time around his face was still able to suck in air as he wrestled with the monstrosity that knocked him into the mud. It was a Mud Man for certain but it was quite a bit larger than the others.

"You've been eating well, haven't you?" Nick said as he grappled with the Mud Man. It swiped at its shoulder and that gave Nick the momentum he needed to get his gun angled right to knock the zombie off. He shot it a couple times before getting up, seeing that Ellis hadn't helped because he was dealing with more zombie swamp people.

"Guys! Guys, do you see that up ahead?" Rochelle pointed to what looked like a tree house of sorts.. except it was a mansion and it was spread out to a few different trees.

"Come on y'all, we're almost to safety!" Coach said as they started sloshing faster in that direction. For once it wasn't for fear of lack of ammo and they weren't being chased by a hoard, just the sheer fact of rest that had them picking up speed. The Mud Men may be a whole different entity but for the most part they were easier to deal with than regular infected… they may come in packs sometimes but that was still only 7 or 8 zombies at once instead of the too many to count numbers they had faced previously.

"Come on, Come on!" Rochelle said as she scrambled up the ladder hammered into the side of the tree. She nimbly made it to the top, giving Coach a hand when he reached the top. Nick went next and Ellis followed after, continually looking back to make sure they wouldn't be pounced on from behind (also, to avoid looking up and getting a great view of Nick's better side).

"Alright, let's clear this place out." Coach said, opening the door cautiously. Checking through all the rooms Nick was sighing with happiness… running water and a shower was calling his name. They cleared out the entire house, only finding a letter 'To Whom It May Concern'.

"Hey y'all, I foun' somethin' over here." Ellis said, picking up the letter gingerly between his muddy fingers.

"What's it say?" Nick asked, looking over Ellis' shoulder.

To Whom It May Concern,

CEDA came in to inform the people here of the disease outbreak. I didn't believe them when they said they could get us out of here safely… I should have. While it may be safe up here supplies won't last forever now that CEDA's outpost here has fallen. I've heard a rumor that there's a ship bringing people to New Orleans where CEDA still holds an outpost. That's where I'm headed with any luck. Whatever I leave behind you are obviously welcome to… like I could stop you anyway. I wish whoever is reading this the best of luck…

"Huh…" Coach said, eyes scanning the paper again.

"Wow." Nick mumbled.

"Wow what? That there's still hope?" Rochelle asked.

"Wow… for taking the time to write this they left very little information of value. They didn't even say where the boat was… what time/day to expect it… if the boat people want anything in compensation… they left a lot of information out."

"'s better than nothin'. Maybe tha's all they knew." Ellis pointed out, setting the letter back down on the table.

"Whatever." Nick shrugged. "All I have to say is that I'm going to go take a shower and try to wash out my clothes." Nick turned on his heel, mud splatters hitting the floor at random intervals. Nick paused a moment, feeling a shudder run up his spine as he turned back around to his fellow survivors.

"As there is only two showers… would anyone else like a shower first?" Nick ground out, pushing the words past his mud coated lips. Rochelle's eyes brightened but no one actually said anything. Nick let out a weary sigh, collapsing on the couch nearby. There were two showers in the tree mansion dream so Nick would only have to wait the length of one person's shower. Coach headed in the direction of one shower and Rochelle headed in the other, leaving him and Ellis alone. He hadn't really planned on that… it's not what he wanted to happen but Ellis' glance in his direction wasn't accusatory.

Both Nick and Ellis spoke at the same time, their words mixing into unintelligible sounds. They stopped, started, stopped, than started again. Nick tried to keep the annoyance from his face as he kept his mouth shut.

"Look… Nick…" Ellis said softly… sadly.

"Here it comes." Nick muttered under his breath. Ellis' expression didn't change.

"I jus'… Nick…" Ellis' throat closed up and he couldn't get out the words he wanted to. He swallowed, trying to push down his emotions… but he hadn't come to any better conclusions than he had when he first slammed the bathroom door.

Nick desperately wanted to take Ellis' hand, the one that wasn't clenched around Nick's jacket, but he knew better now so he clenched his hands in his lap and tried to look understanding. It was a very foreign expression and Ellis choked on a laugh.

"Kid… whatever I did wrong… well, just don't worry about it ok? We're going to make it out of here and then you can go find that Zoey chick or something. The important part is surviving, right?" Nick said, trying his best to withhold his unhappiness at the thought. It would probably be better for both of them, though… they were so different after all.

"Nick... it's not you." Ellis rolled his eyes at Nick. "I-"

"Who's next?" Rochelle said, bursting into the room looking refreshed and brand new… well except for the stains that just weren't ever going to leave her. The new clothes she had been able to find for replacements (either temporary or permanent Nick was unsure) were very becoming. Her expression fell as two pairs of eyes fell on her, one very angry and the other filled with uncertainty and humiliation.

"Nick…" Ellis said, trying to explain his thoughts but not finding the words.

"Go take a shower, Kid. You need it." Nick said, gesturing him away. Ellis sighed, getting up and dragging himself to the shower.

"Sorry." Rochelle whispered to Nick. Nick shrugged, getting up without a word when Coach came into the room as well. He hadn't found anything that would really fit so he had to deal with clothes that stuck to him snugly. Nick just headed for the shower, not even caring about a change of clothes when he came out. He'd just needed to get the mud off of his skin… it was becoming too much.

He stripped out of his clothes in the actual shower, rinsing the mud off of his clothes as soon as he rinsed the majority off of himself. Nick sighed in contentment as he scrubbed down with soap, washing away everything except the memories that would never leave him. Stepping out of the shower, feeling better than he had in a long time, Nick was startled to find a neat pile of clothes lying on the counter. When he checked they fit very comfortably: black jeans and a button up red silk shirt. He hung up his white pants and blue shirt to dry before heading out into the living room.

"The electricity works here. I don't know how but it does." Rochelle said. "And there's a TV and movies and… so many luxuries."

Coach was already conked out on the couch, taking up the entirety of the piece of furniture.

"Where's Ellis?" Nick asked, just as the kid walked into the room holding a very white jacket. The only reason Nick knew it was his jacket was that there were seriously just some stains you can't get out.

"You called?" Ellis asked, acting as if nothing had happened between them… like back before they had shown their interest in each other nothing. He was wearing tight blue jeans that hugged his legs nicely and a black tank top. Nick inhaled slowly, wondering if the kid was trying to kill him.

"Just making sure you didn't get lost." Nick smirked. If Ellis wanted to play this game Nick was ready.

"Ha. Ha. Do the clothes fit ok?" Ellis asked, giving Nick a once over.

"You have eyes. Do they fit?"

"Very nicely. I'm jus' tha' good." Ellis hooked his fingers into his belt loops and pulled off a very cowboy pose.

"Thanks. I'm going to go get some sleep." Nick said, shaking his head at Ellis.

"Not even going to eat?" Rochelle asked in surprise. Coach roused a little at the word 'eat.'

"No, I'm not hungry. I'm sure I can get something in the morning." Nick said, waving his hand around as he headed toward one of several bedrooms. He collapsed onto the large, extremely comfortable bed. Stretching out he pulled the covers up over himself and curled up, snuggling into the warmth.

Nick closed his eyes, ready for sleep. It didn't come. Nick re-evaluated if he was really tired. His eye lids were heavy and he couldn't quite think straight anymore. The bed was comfortable and he was warm… he really wasn't hungry and he could find no other ailments... usually he could fall asleep in the blink of an eye yet something seemed to be missing.

Nick figured it out after a few more minutes. It was the first time he had slept alone in a quite a while. He grumbled to himself and resigned himself to letting his thoughts wander. It caught him a little off guard when the door to the bedroom creaked open a little and footsteps came in.

"Nick? Ya still awake?" Ellis whispered.

"I am now." Nick mumbled, trying to sound indignant.

"'m sorry. I jus'…" Ellis stood next to the bed awkwardly, shifting his weight. Nick grinned to himself inwardly while on the outside he gruffly gestured to the other side of the bed. Ellis did grin, all but running to the other side of the bed.

"No strings attached, kid." Nick muttered before he curled up and tried to relax his mind. The silence was heavy and Nick glanced over his shoulder, catching Ellis' suddenly unsure expression. Nick shook his head, rolling onto his back and cupping his hands behind his head. That was as much of an invitation as he was going to give Ellis this time around. Ellis figured it out, however, moving across the bed until his head was resting on Nick's chest.

"Thanks. I couldn' sleep." Ellis whispered.

"I couldn't either, Overalls." Nick said, lightly placing an arm around Ellis' shoulders. He was suddenly out like a light, his last thought wondering just how deep he was going to dig his grave.


	14. Enjoy the Little Things

This may seem like a filler chapter but it actually does a lot of subtle foreshadowing. It was fun to write, regardless and I hope you enjoy it. Pretty soon they'll be thrown back into the fray. Enjoy :D (and just so we're clear none of these characters belong to me, obviously. I'm just borrowing them for this story :D)

Chapter 14

Dawn came slowly with 4 rested survivors. Coach had kept watch until he noticed that the zombies wouldn't stop at the tree, they would just keep walking. Crossing his fingers that that's how it would stay he went to bed, catching up on a little more shut eye.

Ellis woke right where he had gone to sleep, curled against Nick's side. A wave of guilt crashed over him… he was the one who had called it off after all. Yet here he was needing Nick's presence to get any decent sleep. At least he knew Nick still sort of accepted him. As soon as Nick awoke Ellis figured it was time to clear the air. Something vital struck Ellis the other night in the shower and he wasn't going to hold back anymore…

Nick grumbled something as he woke up, stretching before looking around. Ellis sat up, moving back a little bit, suddenly feeling awkward. He was really hoping that Nick would at least listen to him. Ellis wondered how much patience Nick had in the morning.

"It is way too Early for this, Overalls." Nick said, rubbing a hand wearily down his face. He sat up and looked at Ellis expectantly. "Well? Spit it out."

"I jus' wanna figure all this out." Ellis gestured between himself and Nick. Nick grumbled, sitting up more and massaging his temples.

"No Strings Attached." Nick said simply. It seriously was too early to be discussing this with Ellis.

"Does tha' mean if there was somethin' between us, 's no' permanent or?" Ellis wasn't completely familiar with the 'no strings attached' phrase but he could guess at the basics.

"It means that you don't have to kiss and tell. Whatever we do stays between us and as soon as we get to serious safety, we could go different ways and never see each other again." Nick explained, trying hard not to grind his teeth. "It means that if we meet up with that Zoey chick again, you can drop whatever it is we have and go be with her. It means Ellis, that whatever we have… one of us can leave at any time, nothing tying us down permanently."

"I don' quite understand this, Nick." Ellis confessed. Nick's expression said that beating his face on a wall would be much more entertaining and less painful than this conversation.

"It means-" Nick started again but Ellis cut him off.

"No, I understand wha' it means. 's like friends with benefits." Ellis responded and Nick nodded. "Wha' I don' understand is why ya'd wanna relationship like that." Nick face palmed… this was the worst morning of his life and it probably wasn't even Monday.

"Because we're not meant for a life together. You and I come from opposite sides of the world… If we ever fall back into normal society it would never work, you'd be better off with a pretty girl that knows engines and can keep up with you and your excitement at everything. You're not going to want to be tied down to a man like me and I don't think I could handle being tied to you." Nick felt like he was starting to fall into falsehoods because he probably could handle being with the Kid… but the kid didn't need to be stuck with him. He had a lot of baggage from his past that he didn't need to share with anyone.

"Says you?" Ellis was slightly hurt but he wondered how much of what Nick said was true.

"Yes, says me."

"For thinkin' yer so smart ya sure are daft, Nick." Ellis muttered, earning a glare from Nick. "You should know that lo-" Nick's hand covered his mouth.

"No. No L words." Nick said quickly. He was not calling this love... earlier, yeah his mind had broken down a couple times and thought it but it would not come out into reality. As soon as the word hit the air there would be ties that he didn't want to deal with. Ellis watched Nick steadily, wondering what Nick was afraid of. Why would the word love be such a bad thing to say… but he acquiesced, nodding his head.

"Anyways," Ellis began again when Nick removed his hand, "Relationships aren't smooth. To drop something we may have jus' cuz you don' think it'll be problem-less when we reach society is a lack of understanding on your part."

"Ellis, you don't understand."

"Oh I understand perfectly." Ellis said, feeling his anger burning. He swallowed and kept it at bay. "I don' fit yer plans, there's no room for me… so yer jus' gonna drop me instead of making room."

"If I recall right, _you_ dropped _me_." Nick said, bringing up a sore spot for both of them. That struck Ellis hard, leaving cold embedded in his heart.

"'m sorry bout tha'." Ellis whispered, his voice suddenly unwilling to cooperate.

"Sorry? What's to be sorry about? You obviously don't want anything permanent with me either. So why are we having this conversation?"

"Tha's no' it at all!" Ellis said quickly, his hands gesturing wildly. "It… I dunno how to explain it really. 's more in memory a wha' my momma taught me. She was religious an', well, she taught me a lot bout wha's right an' wrong."

Religious. That struck a core in Nick as all the events made sense. What he's wanted from Ellis the entire time and was close to getting in the kitchen the other day hit a wall for Ellis. His mother sounded like she was strongly religious which means not only does Ellis probably find it wrong that he was finding feelings for another man but also that you should never have sex out of wedlock. Well this put a damper on Nick's plans… would he even want to make Ellis break ingrained laws just for a few moments of pleasure?

"I see." Nick nodded.

"But… it came ta me the other night… ironically while I was in the shower." Ellis said. Nick glanced up quickly. That would explain the sudden change in Ellis' behavior… it had thrown Nick completely off guard to have a flirty Ellis around again. It was seriously like starting over.

"Did you discover anything interesting?"

"Lotsa interestin' things but mainly, I figur'd tha' if God didn' want men lovin' men an' women lovin' women he wouldn' allow it."

"Really? What about serial killers and sinners, do you think he wanted them on his Earth?" Ellis paused a moment because he hadn't thought about that… but then an earlier thought of his fit this situation as well.

"You jus' can't have good withou' the bad." Ellis explained. Nick found the answer interesting but just as washed up as ever. So here was the real question.

"Do you think the people who are bad are bad by design?" Nick asked. "Do you think that the people who kill, who rape and murder and steal, do you think they were born that way?"

"No." Ellis responded after a moment. "I think we all have choices an' tha's what they chose. Why? I dunno… things happen I guess… but they could always stop an' ask forgiveness an' turn themselves around. The only problem is they'll always carry the guilt an' memories in their heart."

Ellis' answer shocked Nick's system. For being so dimwitted sometimes, the hick really did have a head resting on his shoulders. Nick smiled softly before he put on his pokerface.

"So where does that leave us?" Nick watched Ellis' expressions. They flickered from worry to confusion before settling on determined. Nick wasn't quite sure what he was going to think of the answer.

"Tha' depends on where you wanna leave it, Nick. I don' wanna relationship with no strings. If we start somethin' an' we find it doesn' work, well tha's a normal relationship. But I don' wan' an out if things turn for the worst. I wantcha to understand tha' I'm gonna be here for ya until you decide otherwise er somethin' happens an' we split apart." Ellis said, feeling a weight lift from his chest. Nick felt his own chest squeeze with fear and uncertainty… Being tied to someone always left Nick with the short, crappy end of the stick. Nick's eyes were cool, jaded… Ellis watched as they shifted between looking at him and staring off into space. It hadn't even registered for Ellis that this might not be something Nick has ever wanted before… or if it was actually reminding him of a bad situation. He did have an ex-wife after all.

"Nick, there's no rush on the answer er anythin'. S'not like I'm goin' anywhere." Ellis said, taking Nick's hand and giving it a quick squeeze. Nick nodded because he wasn't going to be able to answer that. He honestly figured his only attraction to Ellis was his sexual drive needing to calm its shit down. Maybe there was something more… but he didn't want to dwell on that with Ellis around. He didn't want to end up in anything where he couldn't hold up his side of the bargain…

"I think it's time to get up." Nick stretched once more. To an outsider it would look like Nick had just brushed off the conversation but Ellis knew that Nick was considering it. He could wait.

"Ok." Ellis jumped off the bed lithely, full of energy for the new day. It was so nice to be free of some of the weight on his shoulders.

"Did you really sleep in jeans?" Nick asked, shaking his head. What the hell… How was it even possible to sleep in jeans. For his part he had stripped down to his boxers, only leaving them and his shirt on.

"Well yeah… they're comfortable." Ellis said. Really he hadn't wanted to cause any extra awkwardness with Nick.

"Whatever you say." Nick shrugged as he grabbed the black jeans he had and slipped them on. They headed for the kitchen, curious to check out what all this mansion had.

"How long do ya think we could live 'ere?" Ellis asked as he took in the grandiose house.

"Depends on the amount of food and how soon Coach thinks we should head out."

"Huh…" Ellis said, enjoying the moment he had where he didn't have to fear for his or his companions' lives. Ellis checked out the fridge, noting that it was well stocked. He wondered how good the food was because a lot of food could go bad in a week and some it took a month or two… Depending on what it was. Grabbing out a package of Cinnamon rolls Ellis prayed they were still good, tearing of the plastic and smelling carefully. When he didn't catch any bad scents he tossed them into the microwave, grinning when it came to life. Funny how common place things had now become luxuries.

"Are you serious? The TV actually does work." Nick said from the other room. He had taken a seat on the couch, picking up the remote and pressing power. The TV hummed to life, showing static as Nick flipped through the channels.

Ellis came in with his plate of Cinnamon rolls, sitting down next to Nick and setting the rolls on a coffee table in front of them.

"Doesn' look like we have any channels." Ellis stated the obvious as the two men watched static flick continually through all the channels.

"Does that surprise you?"

"Well no' really I guess… I figur'd maybe CEDA would have a channel fer the survivors, though."

"Well I guess not." Nick said, clicking the TV off. Ellis stood up, searching for DVDs to put in. He grinned as he found the stash, turning on the DVD player and putting a disc in. He motioned for Nick to turn the TV back on.

"I really miss TV sometimes." Ellis said, plopping down next to Nick. He grabbed up the plate, checking to make sure they were cool enough to eat. When Ellis didn't burn his tongue he offered the plate to Nick.

"Really, Ellis?" Nick said, gesturing at the screen before he took a pastry from the offered plate.

"What? It's a classic!" Ellis said, setting the Cinnamon rolls back on the table.

"A classic? Are you serious?" Nick gestured at the TV, looking at Ellis as if he were insane.

"Yep! Everyone loves a good comedy horror movie."

"Not people who are practically living the movie." Nick grumbled as he glared at the TV screen where the menu for Zombieland played through on repeat.

"I think it'd help cuz we're watching people who have to deal with the same trouble we're in." It all made perfect sense to Ellis.

"At least it's not some God awful cartoon." Nick sighed, settling back as the movie started. Nick and Ellis made quick work of the plate of pastries, going so far as to clean the crumbs from the plate.

"Still hungry?" Ellis stretched, leaning on Nick's shoulder. Nick ignored him except to shake his head.

"Ah man, I love Tallahassee!" Ellis jumped up in excitement as the character did something especially bad ass.

"Really? I thought you'd like that one chick, the one that Columbus likes, more."

"Wichita? Why?"

Nick paused for a moment, considering. "Well, she's a prankster like your buddy Keith, for one."

"Keith never tricked no one like she did though. She's a mean kind of prankster." Ellis reasoned.

"Well honestly she kind of reminds me of Zoey." Nick watched the Wichita character closely. "She knows how to wield a gun."

"Zoey trusts people, though. Zoey is an An-_gel_. Wichita isn' so much."

"How do you even know? She could be a human replica of Wichita for all you know!" Just because he realized Ellis would have a better life with Zoey doesn't mean he has to like it.

"She isn'. I jus' know she isn'." Ellis crossed his arms, watching Nick coolly.

"Whatever you say, Fireball." Nick said, grabbing Ellis' hand and tugging him back onto the couch.

"Fireball. You haven' called me tha' in forever." Ellis smiled at Nick, expression wistful.

"You really are something else, Kid." Nick elbowed Ellis lightly before settling his arm tenderly around Ellis' shoulders.

"Goodness Nick, how do ya ever put up with me?" Ellis rolled his eyes, watching Nick for a moment before being drawn back to the TV. They watched the movie for a little while, comparing the difference of the zombies on the movie and real zombies. Ellis felt the ones on the movie were creepier with the way they always had blood dripping from their mouth. Nick disagreed, feeling that the special infected were way creepier than any zombie he'd ever seen in a movie. Ellis agreed, adding in that spitters shared a certain resemblance which had Nick nodding in agreement.

"I really like that thought." Ellis said softly.

"That we have zombies kind of similar to theirs?" Nick asked, confused.

"No!" Ellis poked him in the ribs before shaking his head. "'Enjoy the Little Things.'"

Nick didn't quite know how to respond. He'd heard similar phrases: 'Take time to stop and smell the roses' and 'It's the little things in life that make a difference' but he had never paid them much attention. What was there really to enjoy in life anyway? Especially the life they lived right now.

"And what little things would you be enjoying?"

"Well… like when we get ta see the sun. 's almos' a reminder the worlds still spinnin', still alive an' ev'rythin'." Ellis said softly. "Er when we find food tha' is a delicacy even buh-fore the apocalypse. An' there's always these moments I get ta spend with ya."

Nick's expression was calculating as he watched Ellis. This kid was never going to cease to amaze him. It was still strange for him to see that there are other views on the world. Sometimes he wished he could see the world the way Ellis did. How much brighter would everything seem? For a while at the beginning it had even been fun for Ellis to deal with the zombies.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout Mr. Gamblin Man?" Nick wondered if Ellis had been watching him and he hadn't noticed.

"You." Nick replied honestly.

"Wha's so interestin' bout me tha's got ya not payin' 'tention ta the TV anymore?"

"When did this become 20 questions?" Nick mumbled.

"Tha's only 2 questions." Ellis shook his head in exasperation before he set his attention back on the movie.

"Nick, why would Wichita just leave like that?" Ellis asked as they watched Columbus run out, looking after the retreating vehicle.

"Why would you ask me?" Nick looked at Ellis but the hick's eyes were still trained on the TV.

"B'cause you seem like a person tha'd know." Shrugging, Ellis glanced up at him for a moment. Nick ruffled Ellis' hair, knocking his hat crooked.

"Maybe it's because the more people you keep around the more you have to lose. She didn't really know Columbus or Tallahassee well enough to be sure if they'd ditch her or not so she leaves first. Plus, she felt like she was letting Columbus get too close when apparently their rule was that it's always just them." Ellis nodded at the response.

"Would you leave us Nick? If ya thought you could survive on yer own?" Ellis was staring at his hands now. Nick reached over with his free hand and took one of the mechanic's hands into his own.

"I'm going to tell you this, honestly. At the very beginning if I thought I'd do better on my own I would have left." Nick said, catching Ellis' gaze and holding it. "Being tied to people is never a safe thing for me because I don't trust anyone. However, if I was now given the same chance I'd consider it more carefully. I'm not going to say I wouldn't leave because I might but the chances of me not leaving are higher."

Ellis nodded in understanding. Even though he had expected as much it still left him a little downhearted to hear Nick admit it.

"So if you could get to tha' safe place right now but you'd hafta leave the rest uv us behind, you would?" Ellis asked. Nick thought about saying 'Don't ask what you don't want answered' but changed his mind.

"Yes." Nick answered truthfully. Ellis' expression fell a little bit but it wasn't like he had expected different. Nick was Nick, and he'd always be Nick, there'd be no reason to expect anything different. "I don't know what circumstances would lead to that, though."

"Ya never know wha' might happ'n." Ellis said softly as he rested his head on Nick's shoulder.

"Good to see that you two have been able to make-up." Rochelle yawned, taking a seat in a loveseat.

"Yep!" Ellis said cheerfully. He didn't add anything to that and they continued watching the movie. Nick wasn't sure if Ellis had put on a kind of 'happy mask' or something for Rochelle or if he honestly just switched moods. He just couldn't keep up with this kid.

"Nick, I'd face one a them zombie clowns for ya." Ellis said honestly, grinning. Nick noticed something a little off but he shrugged it off.

"You aren't afraid of zombie clowns so the sentiment is lost." Nick huffed out, shaking his head.

"Well…. Then… I'd face a tank for you!"

"You've faced two tanks basically on your own and I doubt either of them were for me. In fact I remember that you killed one of them for Zoey."

"Nick, you're missing the point." Ellis grumbled. Nick chuckled, enjoying the thought anyway.

"Nick?" Ellis whispered just loud enough for Nick to hear. Nick caught the serious tone and looked at the hick.

"Yeah?"

"I'd face being alone for you." He said softly. Nick stared at the kid a moment, seeing nothing but sincerity on his face.

"Well Kid, let's hope you never have to."

"You know, it's kind of impolite to whisper when there are other people in the room." Rochelle pointed out.

"That's kind of the point of the whispering." Nick grinned snarkily causing Rochelle to roll her eyes.

Nick watched as the lovebird scene came on and feeling a little sentimental he caught Ellis' gaze. Releasing Ellis' hand he reached up and fixed Ellis' hat, his version of brushing hair behind someone's ear. Not that he had always wanted to do it but he hoped Ellis would catch on to the thought. Telling from Ellis' expression he had.

The credits rolled and Ellis turned away to watch all the names scroll up the screen; All those names that never seemed to matter before the Green Flu but seemed somehow extremely important now. All those people had had lives and families… and were now either dead or the undead. Ellis considered the possibility of the movie's actors being zombies now… the absolute irony of that.

"Are you up next, Nick?" Rochelle asked.

"Up Next for what, pray tell?"

"Picking the movie!" Rochelle said, as if it were obvious.

"Go ahead." Nick gestured to the DVDs before taking Ellis' hand again.

Rochelle rummaged around for a moment before standing up, triumphant.

"Awesome!" Ellis shouted as Rochelle showed them her choice.

"You two are going to kill me." Nick looked at the ceiling as if it held all the answers.

"Buck up, Nick. Yer the one tha' said Ro could pick."

"I didn't think she'd pick that, though. It's just.. really you two?"

"In my defense it doesn't have any zombies." Rochelle pointed out.

"But it does imply a ghost light." Ellis joked. Rochelle hit play and the movie, Cars, started.

"You know Nick… in a way you're kind of like Lightning McQueen." Rochelle observed.

"Oh really… what has you saying that?" Nick's voice was flat, pushing on unamused.

"Well how you were all high and mighty for the longest time but it seems like this apocalypse and your trusty companions have knocked a little humanity into you."

"So that must make Ellis, Mater, and you, Flo?" Nick was amused by the thought.

"An' tha' would make Ramone, Francis!" Ellis jested.

"So wait, who's Sally?" Nick tugged lightly on Ellis' hair. Ellis' expression became a little wide eyed before he looked at Nick.

"'s Zoey.. but in our universe McQueen an' Sally ain't tagether."

"Obviously. So who is McQueen with, if anyone?" Nick smirked at Ellis as his face turned bright red.

"More importantly, who's Coach?" Ellis deflected.

"The Cop Car?" Rochelle suggested. "Or maybe that Hillbilly van? How about that Jeep?"

"Just as long as you don't say 'Doc' I'm good with anything." Nick mumbled.

"Oh, he coulda totally been Doc!"

"Absolutely." Rochelle agreed.

"Whatever." Nick said, zoning out as the movie continued. He smiled to himself whenever Mater came on because there were so many resemblances between Ellis and the cartoon Tow Truck. Ellis would squeeze his hand whenever Mater did something especially ridiculous like when he proved he was the world's best backwards driver. Nick poked Ellis softly when Mater mentioned he had made a good choice for his best friend. He honestly didn't believe Ellis had made a good choice but everyone has the right to decide for themselves so Nick enjoyed the time he was given. In the end he hoped that his Mater would end up with Sally, though.

Coach joined them a little while later asking about breakfast. The other three pointed at the fridge and Nick wondered if Rochelle had eaten at all. Settling back in to enjoy the luxury of being lost in a fictional world, Nick relaxed. Things could be a whole lot worse for them.

"Do people really change that much?" Ellis asked, gesturing to McQueen as he helped The King cross the finish line.

"I think it's possible." Rochelle said, giving Nick a meaningful look. Nick looked away, directing his gaze towards Ellis for a moment. Had he really changed all that much? He was still pessimistic… and he thinks if given the chance he would leave his 3 companions for safety. Part of him wonders if he could really leave Ellis, though.. everything considered.

"My turn!" Coach said, heading over to the DVDs as the Credits ran through on Cars.

"Hey, waitta minute! 's Nick's turn." Ellis said indignantly. Coach turned to look back at Nick who hadn't moved at all.

"It's fine Ellis. I don't know if I even want to pick a movie…" Nick stroked his fingers down Ellis' neck soothingly. Ellis hummed softly, allowing himself to be calmed.

"So what's yer choice?" Ellis asked Coach, showing that it's ok for him to continue. Coach hadn't been waiting for the permission, however, having continued searching through the DVDs as soon as Nick spoke. There weren't many choices to choose from for what he really liked. Digging into the stash a little bit deeper he sighed in relief.

"They have it!" Coach shouted excitedly, holding up 'The Blindside.'

"Figures." Nick muttered.

"'The Blindside'? I think I've seen tha' once." Ellis said thoughtfully. His mind was calm, content with being close to Nick and not being asked of anything else.

"Only once? Boy you have missed out." Coach said as he put the disc in.

"Eh, if ya say so. 've never really been one ta really like sports movies. I like playin' the sports more."

"And what sport did you enjoy the most?" Nick asked, partially intrigued.

"Baseball." Ellis made a swinging motion.

"That would explain a lot." Nick nodded, remembering how excited Ellis had been so long back about finding an old mitt and a ball and how he seems to prefer a bat for a melee weapon.

"Didja ever play in any sports, Nick?"

"Ha Ha Kid. You're hilarious."

"Come on Nick, seriously." Rochelle pushed. Now everyone's attention was on Nick and he glanced around at the curious eyes.

"Not on a real school team but I used to be pretty good at Basketball and Baseball. Where do you think I learned to swing a bat?"

"You don't want me answerin' that." Coach chuckled while Ellis cut in with:

"Ah, yeah! 'nother reason we should get 'Bro' tattoos." Ellis jumped up, raising his hand in a high-five. Nick glared at the hand for a moment, considering. Letting out a huge sigh Nick reached up and touched his palm to Ellis'.

"That ain't no high-five Nick." Ellis said, a little begrudgingly. Nick just watched Ellis. He didn't move, didn't respond except to blink, he just sat and watched.

"Come on Nick. If yer gonna do somethin', you should do it right." Ellis nudged Nick, giving him doe eyes. Heaving another sigh Nick rolled his eyes. He reached up, looking as if he would try again, but instead grabbed Ellis' wrist and tugged him down onto the couch.

Ellis looked pouty for a moment before shrugging, getting comfortable. Nick replaced his arm around Ellis' shoulders, pulling him close before returning his attention back to the TV.

Things stayed fairly uneventful except for a few side comments here and there. Nick was surprised at how quiet Ellis was being. He felt Ellis tense as the main character and the adopted-ish little brother (Nick couldn't be bothered with names right now) were driving.

An arm flew out and caught Nick in the chest as the car crash hit on the screen.

"What the Hell, Overalls?" Nick shouted, turning to Ellis. The mechanic was staring wide-eyed at the screen, not responding to Nick's words. Ellis' arm was like an iron bar across Nick's chest for a moment before the hick turned his face into Nick's shoulder, clinging to him.

Coach and Rochelle had jumped when Nick had shouted. Noticing something was up they watched Ellis in concern.

"Ellis?..." Nick asked softly, gingerly wrapping his arms around the man. Ellis didn't respond except to hold on tighter.

"Kid, are you okay?" Nick attempted again. Carefully taking Ellis' hat off, he sat back and looked into his eyes.

"Yeah…. 's jus' a bad memory." Ellis responded after a moment, forcing a smile. Nick wasn't sure whether to press the subject or let it drop.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick asked slowly. Ellis shook his head, strained smile still in place.

"As sappy as this sounds," Nick whispered softly, "I'm here for you."

"Again with the whispering." Rochelle teased. Nick ignored her as Ellis settled back down.

"Sorry Nick, yer chest doin' ok?" Ellis tenderly touched the area he had slammed with his arm earlier. Nick was more or less used to the feeling that accompanied being knocked around. He was more concerned about Ellis' reaction.

"Don't worry about it, Fireball." Nick covered Ellis' hand with his own. "We can talk about it later if you want." Ellis smiled gratefully, a sadness glimmering at the back of his eyes.

"This movie has way too much football an' no' enough baseball!" Ellis said in an attempt to show others he was Ok now.

"What are you saying, Boy?" Coach asked, though not as crossly as he would have under normal circumstances.

"He's saying it sucks." Nick said simply, as if Coach hadn't understood. Coach gave Nick a death look, totally not amused.

"Nick, why do you always have to go and mess up a decent conversation?" Rochelle chastised.

"What?" Nick, raised his hands, trying to look innocent. He did not pull it off nearly as well as Ellis could.

"Sometimes your two cents aren't needed." Coach grumbled. Coach tried to get back into enjoying his movie but irritation kept him from really enjoying it. Ellis felt partially guilty as he watched Coach glare at the TV, knowing that it wouldn't have come around if he had just stayed quiet. He attempted to brainstorm a way to remedy the situation.

"Aw Coach, ya know we'd all miss 'im if somethin' were ta happ'n to 'im." Ellis gave Coach the best smile he could muster.

"I'd be the something happening to him." Coach growled.

"Well tha' jus' ain't friendly." Ellis mumbled, looking put out. Nick noticed that Coach's unhappiness was bothering Ellis and wondered if there was any way he could help the situation (actually help, not make it worse). Another part of him wondered if it was worth the trouble of trying to help.

Ellis sighed, not sure what he could do. Wondering what their might be for food he stood up, causing a chill to rush up his side from the absence of being next to Nick. Nick watched him with interest and confusion in his eyes. Ellis just smiled before he headed into the kitchen. Searching through the pantry he found what he was looking for.

"When all else fails, baking saves the day." Ellis said, mainly to himself. Pulling out a couple boxes of Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix and Banana Nut Muffin Mix Ellis set to getting all ingredients needed and got the oven heating. He measured things by eye, tossing all that was needed into one large bowl. His mind went back to his mom and watching her make this when someone was feeling down. He remembered when his dad would be in a particularly bad mood and his ma's baking would cheer everyone up.

"Whatcha up to, Ace?" Nick asked, coming in and resting his elbows on the counter.

"Fixin' yer mess." Ellis shrugged as he mixed the ingredients together. He welcomed the soft burn in his muscles while he stirred. Nick came over to get a closer look and Ellis dipped his finger into the mix, dabbing some on Nick's nose. The gambler looked at him in amused shock before backing off, wiping the batter off his nose. Nick went back to his original spot where he could watch and not easily be attacked.

Ellis got out a bread pan and dumped the muffin mix in. Cleaning out the bowl as much as he could he smoothed the muffin batter until it was evenly layered in the pan and set the pan in the oven.

"This should work jus' right." Ellis said, setting the timer. He offered the spoon to Nick who took it curiously. Not noticing the gambler's hesitance, Ellis took a finger and ran it along the edge of the bowl. Ellis stuck the now batter covered finger into his mouth before going back for more, swiping up more excess mix from the edges. He paused as he noticed Nick's gaze.

"You gonna help me an' clean off the spoon?" Ellis gestured, his fingers slightly damp with saliva. Nick swallowed convulsively before nodding. Nick made no other move though, staring transfixed.

"You are odd, Nick." Ellis said as he finished out the bowl and wiped his hand on his pants. What else were pants for, anyway? Nick looked at the spoon he had been given again before catching a spot that was about to drip on the counter with his tongue. He didn't really recognize the flavor, he'd never really been allowed to do anything like this before, but it was fairly good. His mother hadn't really been one to bake… in fact she hadn't been much for cooking period. He tried to bother Ellis in return for the earlier display but Ellis didn't seem bothered in anyway by Nick's work at cleaning the spoon.

"Tha' took ya way too long." Ellis shook his head in mock disappointment before taking the spoon from Nick and sticking it in the sink.

"Yeah, Maybe." Nick gave no warning before he was wrapping his arms around Ellis. Tangling his fingers into Ellis' hair he kissed the hick softly, not asking for anything, just giving. Ellis smiled and it felt weird but good in a way.

"Yer a real troublemaker, ya know that?" Ellis asked when Nick pulled back just to look at Ellis.

"So I've been told."

"Nick, it's your turn to pick a movie!" Rochelle called. Nick rubbed at his temple for a moment before releasing Ellis. Striding into the other room he quickly targeted the DVD section and scanned through the titles. Coach had been right, there really wasn't much to work with here. There were plenty of Disney and child's cartoons but nothing that Nick would really enjoy watching. Nick finally settled on one that wasn't too ridiculous, it made pretty decent background noise at the very least, and put it into the DVD player.

"Aw Hell Yeah!" Ellis said as he came in to see 'Pirates of the Caribbean' playing.

"Never really pegged you as liking Pirates…" Nick said, poking Ellis in the side.

"Fer the mos' part my ma didn' like 'em but I think it'd be awesome ta sail the seas like Cap'n Jack Sparrow… to be free. Cuz a boat isn' a rudder an' sails an' stuff, tha's whadda boat needs. The Black Pearl is Freedom… it'd be nice ta have freedom from this righ' now." Ellis said softly, imagining he was on the seas with a scurvy crew instead of trapped in the middle of a swamp infested with zombies.

"You've seen this movie too many times, I can tell." Nick gave Ellis a playful shove before he sat on the couch, spreading out on his side and taking up all the space. Ellis didn't mind, he had to keep an eye on the muffin/bread after all. Another 10 or so minutes and it would be done, ready to serve to faces that would suddenly be just a little bit more cheerful.

Watching the time tick by on the timer Ellis listened to the movie, enjoying the music if nothing else. He considered the characters, seeing that the survivors didn't really match up to anyone like that had been able to in Cars. Of course Nick was a scoundrel like Jack but Ellis had a feeling that Nick would have dealt with everything a lot better than Sparrow had. Ellis found he had a lot of unexplainable faith in the man. He continued to think on the chain of thoughts until the timer dinged.

Ellis grabbed out a pot holder before grabbing oven mitts. Carefully taking out the bread Ellis felt a strange sort of comfort come over him from the heat that radiated from the open oven. Ellis set his master piece on the pot holder, smiling proudly before searching out a knife. After he had cut the bread into even sized pieces he left it so that it could cool.

Choosing that being an annoyance was more fun than a wallflower at the moment, Ellis sat down on Nick. He was careful not to put too much weight on the older man.

"Ellis," Ellis grinned triumphantly from the tone of Nick's voice, "You need to get off of me before I make you get off. Trust me, you won't like the results."

"Uh Yeah- No." Ellis smirked, enjoying himself as he pressed Nick's buttons.

"Ellis, I'll put you in a world of hurt." Nick threatened.

"Can't do it, Man." Ellis prodded at Nick's side as they watched Elizabeth Swan fall into the water.

"Look Overalls… I'm being patient with you and I am not a patient man." Nick warned, shifting his weight a little to test just how well balanced Ellis was. Ellis shifted a little bit but for the most part he stayed pretty stable.

"I betcha 's cooled by now." Ellis said, hopping up to go check on his chocolate banana nut bread. It was still a little warm to the touch but he figured his companions would cope as he set some of the slices on plates.

"Something smells really good." Coach said in appreciation. Rochelle nodded in agreement.

"So this is what you were up to." Rochelle cautiously took a piece of bread, taking a moment to inhale the scent.

"What's this for, Young'un?" Coach asked as Ellis handed him his own plate which had 3 slices on it.

"'s Nick's apology." Ellis shrugged nonchalantly as Coach turned to look at Nick. Nick glanced up at Ellis, wondering what exactly he was trying to do.

"Eh, even though I know it's you saying sorry for him, I guess I accept. I suppose I just need to remember that it's Nick we're talking about. He's just like that." Coach acquiesced.

"That's what we've been saying." Rochelle mentioned between savory bites, gesturing between her-self and Ellis.

Ellis handed Nick his piece before sitting on Nick again, eating through a piece of his own. Nick had planned for this, expected as much, but waited until Ellis had finished swallowing. He set his bread on the table nonchalantly, trying to seem inconspicuous. Right when Ellis finished swallowing Nick gave a violent twist of his hips which sent Ellis falling between Nick's legs. Nick sat up a little more, back resting against the arm rest before he pulled Ellis against him.

Ellis was, of course, just a little startled by the sudden movement but when he realized what Nick was up to he cooperated. Ellis relaxed back into Nick's embrace, his head pillowed on Nick's chest and his feet hanging comfortably over the other end of the couch.

"You're a pain." Nick murmured into Ellis' ear, nipping it softly before brushing a kiss against Ellis' jaw. Setting his attention back to the movie he watched Captain Jack converse with Will Smith who was currently dangling over open water.

"Nick… what'd you do if ya found out yer a pirate? Tha' 's in yer blood?"

"I don't think that kind of thing runs in the blood. Like you've said, your choices make you who you are… so it's Will's choices that make him a pirate, not the fact that his father was one." Nick explained softly, trying not to distract the other's attention from the movie.

"That stuff you baked was really good Ellis. What was it exactly?" Rochelle interrupted their conversation without realizing.

"Somethin' my ma taught me. Chocolate chip banana nut bread… 's not somethin' ya see a lot an' 's a sure way ta cheer someone up. Well at least, someone in my family." Ellis smiled at all the memories associated with the baked good. This had been the first time he had ever made it without his mom.. or well actually ever made it at all. Of course he would help his mom with little things like gathering ingredients and cracking eggs but he had actually never made it before.

"God, you and chocolate." Nick complained lightly, nuzzling behind Ellis' ear. Ellis grabbed Nick's hand, running calloused fingers over the creases. He attempted to think of some sort of comeback but nothing came to him so he traced patterns in Nick's skin and watched the movie. Nick grabbed his abandoned bread with his free hand, eating it slowly. It was really good and definitely seemed to brighten his mood at least a little.

"Why do ya think tha' Will left Cap'n Jack behind?" Ellis looked at Nick, neck craning a little.

"Because he knew that Jack was going to turn on him, so he turned on Jack first. Kind of like Wichita." He knew this first hand. He hadn't had any actual friends in his adult life; all his relationships were like Jack and Will… turn on someone before they can turn on you.

Ellis continued thinking on that. Would he have done the same as Will? Probably not and he'd probably have ended up dead. Keith was right, Ellis was way too trusting. The mechanic didn't mind though, he had friends to watch his back now. As long as that held true Ellis didn't feel he had anything to worry about except doing his own job.

"What do ya think woulda happ'ned if Will had died jus' now?" Ellis asked as they watched Will appear, threatening to shoot him-self.

"Well Barbosa would be cursed forever and Sparrow and his crew would probably be dead." Rochelle answered.

"There ending the Pirates of the Caribbean." Nick said, making a wide gesture with his free hand.

"'s weird ta think how one lil event coulda changed everythin'." Ellis said softly.

"Like that one little event that brought us all together?" Rochelle mentioned.

"Yeah!" Ellis said, not even considering how it applied to real life. "We wouldn' even know each other if things hadn' been the way they are."

"Too bad the events that lead us here had to be a mass zombie outbreak." Coach shook his head.

The survivors stayed silent, not sure how to continue the conversation. They turned their attention back to the movie. They watched as Elizabeth and Sparrow were left alone on the island. As Ellis' eyes scanned the colors flitting across the TV screen his thoughts wandered back to before the zombies. If he were able to go back to that life, right now, with no strings attached except that he would no longer know Nick, Rochelle, and Coach… would he? He thought about it really hard, taking it in from every angle… but in the end, he could no longer picture his life without them.

"So Nick, they weren' gonna kill Will if Elizabeth hadn' pretended tha' first time around?"

"So this is the kind of movie watcher you are… the one with endless questions." Nick didn't sound too annoyed, more entertained. "I don't know. That's what they say but who even knows what happened to the other people who had to pay blood."

"'s jus' somethin' tha's always bothered me. Everythin' woulda been jus' fine if Elizabeth hadn' lied ta begin with."

"Well learn your lesson, then. Don't lie." Nick joked.

"Yer one ta talk." Ellis teased right back. Nick just shook his head.

"Shhhh, you guys. You keep interrupting the movie." Rochelle shushed. Both men shrugged and continued watching the movie until another question came to Ellis.

"Why, after everythin' Jack put Will through, would Will be willin' ta risk 'is life ta save Jack?"

"If you were Will and I was Jack, would you leave me to die?"

"Tha's different." Ellis was completely thrown by the thought that Nick had compared himself to Jack as well.

"Is it?"

"Yes, an' no I wouldn' leave ya ta die."

"Will feels he owes Jack I guess. And like you, Will believes that everyone has good in them."

"Would _you_ have left Jack ta die?"

"Probably." Nick said, shrugging. "Then again, I wouldn't be chasing a ship around the world for some girl, either."

"So ya wouldn' chase the ship fer me?" Ellis released his hand, trying to look back and see Nick's face. He wasn't really worried about the answer because honestly, he didn't need anyone rescuing him. More or less the question was just to pick on Nick.

"Yeah Nick, would you leave Ellis to die?" Rochelle added.

Nick rested his chin on Ellis' head, circling his arms around the hick's chest.

"Ellis isn't Elizabeth." Nick started simply. "Ellis wouldn't have been taken hostage to begin with. He'd have kicked the undead pirates' asses. If, however, he was somehow taken prisoner… it really depends on the circumstances but I might go after him. I also might wait on shore, having faith that he would make it back to me. Ellis is not a damsel in distress."

"Nick gets me. He totally does." Ellis was thrilled with Nick's answer. He wasn't anyone's princess and he could definitely take care of himself.

"Nice answer, Nick." Rochelle nodded. Coach seemed to be ignoring the conversation for the most part, mind sucked into the movie that was still playing.

"I think 's pretty awesome tha' Jack's crew came back fer him."

"I wonder what made them change their minds." Rochelle mumbled. Ellis had stopped listening; Nick had turned his head at an angle so that he could reach Ellis' lips, kissing them softly. Ellis sighed in contentment, completely calm and happy at the moment.

"Coach, are we gonna hafta leave this place?" Ellis jumped topics, having been enjoying the moment so much that he wondered why they'd ever want to leave this sanctuary.

"We're going to have to leave sooner or later." Coach said. "There isn't enough food anywhere to sustain us forever so we might as well continue and get to actual safety as soon as we can."

Ellis nodded. He kind of figured that's what the answer would be. Still, it was nice to have a day or two to just relax and enjoy what used to be regular, everyday things. Soon, though, they'd be out living in horror movie hell, facing death with every zombie that comes at them. Well, at least they had had today.


	15. Swamp Fever

Alright! Another chapter finished! I'm so excited to get on to the next chapter! Finally not so much filler chapters for a little while! Also, heads up… there's a reason that this is rated M. Anyways, here's hoping the creative juices keep flowing and new ideas keep flowing for this story. I have so much planned! XD Hope you enjoy :D

Chapter 15

"Are you sure we can't go back to the mansion?" Rochelle called out as rain was dumped on them in sheets. It had soaked the survivors in a matter of minutes, cascading from tree branches. Driblets staged races as they ran through hair and down cheeks.

"Are you getting soft, Ro?" Nick called over the wind. The zombie population was still lighter than most of what they had dealt with in the past but with the rain and the added effects of being in the swamp it was fairly difficult to see anything until it was right on them.

"Shit!" Ellis shouted as a charger ploughed into him.

"Goddammit!" Nick shot at it but couldn't see clearly through the rain. "I was hoping we had left those bastards behind!"

"He is breaking my butt!" Ellis was less than impressed. In fact he was downright displeased and quite a bit terrified.

Nick was right on the charger's tail when he was attacked by a Jockey.

"Gah! Shoot it! Shoot it!" Nick shouted at no one in particular, flailing around. Ellis attempted to escape the charger as it slammed him into a tree but slipped in the mud. The Charger grabbed him and began pummeling him into the ground. The mud was soft, though, so the worst part of the pummeling was when his head would go under the mud and water.

Nick fought with the Jockey, stumbling his way towards a tree before falling into it, trying to knock the Jockey off. The Jockey lost its grip enough for Nick to shoot it before trying to spot Ellis through the rain.

"It's beating me into shit!" Ellis shouted as he hit at the hand gripping him. He had mud in his eyes and nose and was grateful he wasn't being held under for too long.

Nick ran in the direction of Ellis' voice, wondering idly where Rochelle and Coach had gone off to. He just about ran into the charger as he wiped water from his eyes. Shooting at the monster he made his best attempt not to shoot Ellis as well. The charger released Ellis, turning to charge at Nick before it collapsed, finally succumbing to the bullets littering his insides.

Nick helped the kid up, sighing inwardly as mud was splattered all over his white jacket.

"Well that didn't stay white long." Nick said, feeling partially upset that Ellis' efforts were in vain. Ellis sputtered, trying to rub the mud out of his eyes but just rubbing it in more.

"Hold still." Nick grumbled, pulling the edge of his jacket to wipe the mud from Ellis' face.

"Thanks." Ellis blinked, attempting to get the rest of the mud from his eyes. The rain had slowed a bit but the survivors could no longer feel it, having already been soaked through. Ellis clothes clung to him uncomfortably and every movement had the chilled fabric rubbing into his skin. He noticed he wasn't the only one bothered by the chilled rain. He watched Nick's strange way of walking as the gambler tried to avoid the cold damp of his clothing.

"Hang in there, Champ." Nick said, handing Ellis his bat and taking up an axe.

"Thinkin' a lil mud is gonna slow me down?" Ellis said as he hefted the bat. "Yer sadly confused if ya do!" Ellis said and Nick had to duck as the kid took a swing at a zombie.

"Home Run!" Nick joked as the zombie dropped, it's head caved in.

"Oh, HELL Yeah!" Ellis said as he beat down more zombies. Nick shook his head; the kid was having way too much fun. But that was ok, better to have fun then realize what you were actually doing. It was fairly comical to see Ellis running around, tearing into zombies. There was also the added effect that the kid now looked like some kind of mud monster himself, mud clinging to his clothing, hair, and hat.

"Shoot it!" The shout came from ahead of them so after finishing off the zombies near them, Nick and Ellis headed toward the voice.

"So this is where Ro and Coach got off to." Nick mused as he noticed Rochelle and Coach surrounded by zombies. Coach had recently been pounced by a Jockey and was stumbling about, trying to get it off.

"Man, tha' jus' don' look dignified." Ellis observed as the Jockey dragged Coach around.

"No, it doesn't." Nick agreed before raising his gun and shooting the Jockey.

"Where have you two been?" Coach asked, bullets whizzing as Rochelle finished off the rest of the zombies.

"Dealin' with a Charger." Ellis gestured to the mud that coated him.

"Do you need a health kit at all?" Rochelle asked as the group continued on their way.

"I think Ellis needs a shower before we even consider cleaning his wounds… I can't even see if he has wounds through all that mud." Coach said, observing the layers of mud that was clinging to Ellis despite the rain's attempt to wash it away.

"I thought swamps were supposed to be warm and humid and yet we get buckets of ice dumped on us." Nick observed as a particularly icy drop hit is neck, making him shiver. He figured he should be numb to the cold by now but every now and then a drop would hit him in a sensitive spot.

"Maybe it has something to do with the Green Flu?" Rochelle suggested.

"So not only do we have zombies, but climate change. This shit is fucking fantastic." Coach growled.

"Listen up everybody. Be on the lookout fer blood farmers. 'm serious." Ellis warned.

"What? Blood farmers? Boy, what in the hell are you talking about?" Rochelle responded, looking at Ellis incredulously.

"Duh? Farmers tha' don' grow crops, they grow people. To Eat." Ellis said softly, like it was a forbidden secret.

"I seen that movie. It don't end well." Coach mused.

"Jesus Christ, Ellis, like the goddamn zombies aren't bad enough." Nick said, glaring at Ellis.

"Jus' sayin'." Ellis shrugged.

"Shit. Watch out." Nick hissed as he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to pinpoint it there was nothing there.

Ellis turned in circles, trying to see what it was that startled Nick when something ploughed into his back. He only had a moment before he was falling into a small body of water, cold rushing up around him.

In the initial attack Ellis lost his weapon so he was left scrabbling at his attacker with bare hands as he and the zombie sank lower into the water. Ellis was able to shove it away, forcing himself to open his eyes in the murky water. Pinpointing his assailant he realized it was a mud man.

Well Shit. Ellis stared at it, waiting for it to make a move. It swished to the side in the water, smoothly making its way around him. Ellis felt his heart pound. He saw the attack coming but was powerless as the zombie slammed into his chest, knocking air from his lungs and pushing him even deeper into the water, dirt flying up around them and clouding Ellis' sight more. It gripped Ellis' arms, trying to sink jaws into Ellis' shoulder. Ellis kicked the Mud Man away, striking out for the surface when he felt a hand grip at his ankle.

Ellis was taken by surprise, the grip slowly dragging him down towards the infected monster. The mechanic kicked out, freeing himself and swam upwards. Ellis broke the surface in time to take a breath before he was pulled down again. Where the hell were his teammates?

The Mud Man was circling him again, an eerie glow in its dead eyes as it observed Ellis. Ellis could almost see its grin, believing it had Ellis caught. His companions finally came to the rescue, sending bullets whizzing into the water. Some came close enough that he could feel the disturbance as they zoomed past. Ellis began to feel a little light headed, his lungs aching for air and his heart continually pounding in his chest as his brain reminded him he needed oxygen. A lucky bullet struck the mud man down and Ellis turned for the surface again.

Ellis' vision dimmed a little around the edges but he saw as an arm plunged into the water, reaching for him. Part of him realized that it wasn't a zombie arm but at this point he wouldn't have cared if it was as he reached out for it. Ellis' hand locked with the one reaching for him and it pulled him out of the water, allowing fresh air to rush into his lungs.

"Boy, you ok?" Coach asked, watching Ellis. Ellis' only reply was to gasp for air, death grip on the hand that had saved him. Once he could breathe evenly again he looked up at his savior and a slow smile came to his lips.

"Well, you're not covered in mud anymore." Nick stated, helping Ellis to his feet.

"Hardy… Har..Har…." Ellis got out between breaths. A shiver ran through his body, trying to shake off the cold that had seeped in.

"Are there any safe houses ahead?" Nick asked, noticing unhappily how much of Ellis' weight he was supporting. He gripped at Ellis' hip, feeling cold seep into his side as the mechanic shivered again.

"There seems to be a town in the distance. You hang on to Ellis. Coach and I will cover you." Rochelle told Nick, hefting the shot gun and keeping an eye out for zombies.

"Coach? Do ya have any words a inspiration?" Ellis asked, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death-" Coach began.

"Yeah I'm walkin' through tha' valley an' kickin' some serious ass." Ellis said, trying to push some excitement into his freezing body. The chill seemed to seep in even further, if that was possible.

"I don't know if now is really the time to be getting poetic." Nick mumbled half-heartedly.

"Aw, But Nick! I wanna hear the rest!" Ellis argued, waving his arm around numbly. Realizing he could no longer clearly feel his fingers he looked down at his hand in wonder, making the attempt to clench it. He could move them still, but could not feel the movement. He was intrigued as much as he was worried.

"I shall fear no evil." Coach finished.

"Figures your inspiration would be biblical." Nick said softly. Speaking again, loud enough for the rest of the survivors to hear, he said "Well that was Inspirational. Is everyone else motivated? Thanks so much Coach."

"Ya know, Boy, I really don't like your tone." Coach growled, scowling at Nick.

"Where the hell are we?" Ellis asked suddenly, not wanting a fight to break out.

"Given our trajectory when we fell, how far we've walked, and the direction of Whispering Oaks I would say 'Earl's Gator Farm.'" Rochelle said, shooting down infected here and there.

"I can see the sign, Rochelle." Ellis said drily, shaking his head slightly. There was another blur of movement and then mud was flying at the survivors, some of it getting Nick in the face.

"Ok, what the hell? They throw mud now?" Nick wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, trying to ignore the burn.

"Ok, I hated swamps and swamp people to begin with but I really hate Mud Men." Ellis complained. Rochelle was able to get the Mud Man with a lucky shot while Coach covered the common infected.

"I have to agree with Ellis, these Mud Men are ridiculous." Nick grumbled as they finally made it to the gates of a town.

"No CEDA. No Military. Stay Out." Coach read aloud.

"Well doesn't that sound friendly?" Nick's voice dripped sarcasm.

"Well we're not CEDA or the Military so we should be welcome." Rochelle said, pushing open the gate. It creaked as it swung forward.

"I hate that we have to turn to Swamp People to escape this nightmare." Coach grumbled.

"How are you holding up, Fireball?" Nick asked, noticing that Ellis had stopped shivering. He remembered somewhere that that was very bad but he couldn't remember why. Ellis nodded, stumbling along beside Nick.

"Just keep up, ok you two?" Rochelle said as she and Coach worked to clear a path for them. Fortunately for the survivors there was a safe house set up near the entrance to the town and they all collapsed in grateful heaps as Coach slammed the door behind them.

"Come on Ellis." Nick said, trying to get the kid back up. It was especially difficult because he didn't want to get up either. Nick had to drag Ellis the rest of the way to the tiny bathroom, shutting the door behind the two of them.

"Ok… I need to remember how to do this." Nick said, taking a moment to think.

"Whatcha doin?" Ellis mumbled sleepily as Nick pulled Ellis' shirt off. Nick's cheeks reddened as he reached down to untie the knot on Ellis' coveralls before sliding them down, making sure to leave his boxers. Ellis just stared at Nick in confusion.

"I think you have Hypothermia and if we don't take care of you right now you could die." Nick said, saying it a lot more calmly than how he was feeling. He grabbed a towel and dried Ellis off the best he could. He focused on the task at hand instead of how much Ellis' muscles had toned from all the zombie killing. When Nick felt he had done the best he could considering he was freezing as well he helped Ellis to his feet. Grabbing another towel he helped Ellis through the door and into a bedroom. Nick tried not to trip over his own feet as they stumbled into the room, Nick helping a partially conscious Ellis to the bed.

"S'okay Nick, 'm no' cold anymore." Ellis said drowsily. Nick just shook his head, rolling the blankets down and helping Ellis under them.

"Can't I jus' take a warm shower er somethin'?" Ellis asked as Nick tucked blankets around him on one side before stripping clothes off himself, but leaving his briefs, and climbing in to the other side of the bed.

"We can't warm you up too fast because that can kill you too." Nick said, scooting closer. He wrapped his arms around Ellis, shivering. Nick hadn't been extremely warm to begin with, having been soaked through from the rain, but Ellis was freezing.

"mmm feels good." Ellis said, nudging farther into the warmth. Nick swallowed, trying not to let his thoughts wander too much. Pulling Ellis closer Nick closed his eyes, willing Ellis to warm up and be alright.

Colors swirled strangely around the edges of Ellis' vision and he wondered what was going on. When he noticed he was alone, not just without his companions but without any zombies as well, two conclusions came to Ellis' mind.

"Either I am dead." Ellis words echoed around him emptily, "Or I am dreamin." Ellis wasn't really used to knowing when he was dreaming and it was a strange feeling to be in control.

"Well I don' wanna be alone… so if this 's a dream, I can always conjure someone up." Ellis concentrated and wispy figures started to solidify until he had Ro, Coach, and Nick standing around him.

"So I am dreamin'." Ellis discovered. He laughed inwardly realizing that out of everyone he could have tried to imagine he chose Rochelle, Coach, and Nick. Deciding to enjoy the dream he summoned up his Ma, Pa, Abbey, Keith, and Dave. Smiling to himself he and his posse started along, exploring this strange, echoey world.

Ellis kept glancing back, unsure if his group was still behind him because they made no noise. None of them had spoken a word. He expected as much from Abbey but not the rest of them. Keith was more of a chatter box than he was and even Nick wasn't this silent.

"So how y'all doin'?" Ellis asked them directly, stopping to turn and look at them. They didn't respond; they didn't even blink. This bothered Ellis… Why wouldn't they talk to him? Had he done something wrong?

Black crept around the edge of his dream and Ellis got a bad feeling as things appeared to get a little glitchy. Taking a hesitant step back from the conjured people he watched as blood began to seep from their eyes and mouths. Abbey was the first to leap at him but with quick reflexes, trained upon him from fighting zombies, he dodged and took off running away from them.

The ground was deteriorating around him and he started to slip, feeling like he couldn't keep a sure footing as he ran. His heart was thundering in his throat as he heard moans behind him. Now Ellis' legs were like lead and time seemed to slow for him, like he was running in slow motion. The zombies were still at normal speed and were soon on him, tearing at him, ripping him apart.

Ellis screamed, spasming as he awoke.

"Ellis, Ellis calm down. Shhh, it was just a nightmare." Nick was underneath him, looking up at him with anxiety in his cool green eyes. Nick's fingers stroked through Ellis' hair, damp from sweat, and down his back.

"Nick." Ellis sobbed, burying his face into Nick's neck.

"Shhhhh. You're ok Fireball." Nick soothed, kissing Ellis' head softly.

"It's all my fault Nick. Everything. It's always my fault."

"Shhh. It's not your fault. Nothing is your fault." Nick whispered, completely perplexed by Ellis' behavior. He had awoken to Ellis' body shaking and had been afraid Ellis had been dying.

"They're dead cuz of me. All of 'em. Ma, Pa, Abbey, Keith, Dave, Everyone." Ellis' mind took note of the lack of clothes between him and Nick but it was shoved to the back of his thoughts.

"You can tell me about it if you want." Nick said softly. Ellis remained quiet but Nick understood. Talking about it brought back the vivid memories. He understood why it was so painful to talk about what's hurt you.

Ellis wrapped his arms around Nick, holding tightly as he tried to slow his breathing. He could smell Nick, a mixture of all the hell they were going through and something underlying that couldn't quite be described. He could hear Nick's heartbeat, slow and even. He could feel the slow steady rise of Nick's chest, realizing he was lying across it somewhat. Nick's presence was calming and Ellis was able to collect his thoughts.

"Do ya think Abbey blames us?" Ellis whispered to Nick.

"I think she was trying to save us, Ellis. And she did. So no, I don't think she holds anything against us."

"I know you didn' really like 'er an' all but do ya miss her Nick?"

"If you don't think I liked her Ellis you are sadly mistaken." Nick explained slowly. "I was worried for our safety because she was a zombie and yes, I don't like kids but something about Abbey was special. Yes, I miss her."

There was quiet for a little while… both men lost in their own thoughts. Ellis allowing the grievances of his losses to burn through his system and Nick allowing himself to miss someone. He had begun to care for Abbey. Losing her was beyond painful for Nick.

"Don't leave, ok Nick?" Ellis whispered, nuzzling beneath Nick's jaw. Nick's breath hitched and he nodded.

"I'm here for you, El." Ellis smiled slightly before allowing a blanket of sleep to settle over his mind. Nick stayed awake for a while longer, however, his thoughts buzzing around his mind.

How did Ellis cope? He had lost a lot and yet he still put on this strong, happy front that everything was decent in the world. Nick had closed in on himself, taking a bitter outlook on the world when things were taken from him. He had shut the world out, deciding if all people wanted to do was hurt him he would never let anyone in again. And that had worked just fine for Nick until this apocalypse had come around. Then Ellis had come into the picture and nothing was the same anymore.

Ellis' warm weight kept Nick grounded, kept him from shoving the walls back up. This kid trusted him and somehow had been able to steal Nick's trust as well. Closing off the thoughts of losing Ellis in the future Nick closed his eyes, appreciating when a dreamless sleep swallowed him into darkness.

Ellis awoke slowly, eyes still heavy with sleep. He was glad to notice that he could feel his body again although there was the painful pins-and-needles feeling coursing through him at different intervals. He still remembered his dream but brushed it aside, realizing it was something that he shouldn't have reacted so strongly to. Keith and Dave weren't even dead… or at least Ellis didn't think they were.

Opening his eyes he realized he was facing a column of throat. Pulling his arm out from underneath Nick he took notice of his position, cheeks warming slightly. He had ended up draped across Nick, legs tangled together and partially lying on his chest. Ellis flushed more at the feeling of skin against skin.

Ellis felt a warm shudder course down his spine as he considered the fact that he and Nick were only in boxers. Their lack of dress didn't quite bother Ellis; he was more intrigued by it and slowly ran his hand down the expanse of hair on Nick's chest. It felt course beneath his fingertips. Ellis took the moment to really observe the man next to him.

Ellis wasn't stupid. He knew that Nick was an unsavory character, or at least he had been before the apocalypse. He also realized that there were some instincts and habits in Nick that the gambler would have a hard time letting go of. Nick had a troubled past and had been hardened because of it, building up walls to keep others out. Ellis realized all of this and he accepted it.

Still running his fingers softly down Nick's chest he questioned why. Nick had mocked him and made fun of him, threatened him, and said quite honestly if he could leave the group he would. Yet he had also taken care of Ellis, watched his back and saved him on numerous occasions, had kept him whole and stable when they had lost Abbey, missed him when Nick had thought he was dead and just…. Nick had been there for Ellis in a way no one else ever had and possibly ever could.

Ellis continued pondering, trying to see the situation from every angle. Was there anything to be gained or lost? Could things actually work out? What would life be without Nick? What about a future with Nick? Ellis pushed the thought of anyone dying to the back of his mind. For now zombies were out of Ellis' equation.

"How are you feeling, Sweetie?" Rochelle asked, peeking in through the door. Half of Ellis wanted to jump back but he overrode it, smiling at Rochelle brightly. He noticed that Rochelle focused very hard on his face, eyes not moving anywhere else while she spoke to him.

"I'm feelin' real good. What all happened?"

"Coach and I don't really know. You were acting a little strange, kind of tired and loopy… and then you and Nick disappeared. I found you guys out cold in here."

"Really? How long've we been out?" Ellis ignored the blush creeping up Rochelle's cheeks. She had to know Ellis and Nick hadn't done anything… she knew Ellis well enough. Ellis back tracked his thoughts for a moment though; he understood how the image of him and Nick at the moment could be a little awkward.

"Just through the night."

"Oh, Ok. Well I dunno when Nick'll be wakin' up but it shouldn't be too much longer."

Realizing Ellis was going to wait for Nick to wake up Rochelle nodded, waving, before departing. Settling back into a comfortable position Ellis rested his chin on Nick's chest, studying the gambler's features.

Nick's face seemed to have frown lines engraved into his skin yet a youthfulness seemed to cling to his eyes. While he slept the lines were less harsh leaving Nick looking content and almost happy. Ellis wondered if there was a way to help take the bitterness from Nick's heart and add in a little more happiness.

"Well hello there, Sport." Nick's voice was gravelly, heavy with sleep.

"G'mornin' Nick!" Ellis said enthusiastically, grinning at Nick. Nick stroked a hand cautiously through Ellis' curls. The mechanic just smiled up at him, completely content to enjoy the moment.

"Glad to see you awake." Nick said, trying to force the fatigue from his voice. Ellis caught the undercurrent of 'glad to see you alive.'

"Was I close ta dyin again?" Ellis had meant it to sound light hearted but it was a serious concern to him.

"I don't know if you were close to actually dying or not." Nick said honestly. "But it was definitely a possibility. Then again it's always a possibility to die whenever we leave a safe house."

"Well thanks fer savin' me anyway." Ellis poked Nick's cheek playfully. Nick just looked at him with an expression that clearly said is-right-now-the-best-time? Ellis' smile broadened and he traced his finger down Nick's cheek until it was carefully tracing his jaw line. Nick closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of Ellis' finger tenderly stroking his face.

"Any idea what the plan is?" Nick asked, curious how much longer he had to be like this with Ellis. As pathetic as part of Nick felt he couldn't help the enjoyment he got lying there, spending time with Ellis.

"Dunno." Ellis replied. "But Rochelle came in ta check on us so I reckon we should probly be gettin' up soon."

"How soon is soon?"

"Buh-fore evenin' comes round." Ellis said after a moment. He was extremely comfortable at the moment and wasn't in the mood to move.

"I like the way you think, Fireball." Nick smiled softly and Ellis traced the smile with his fingertip. Nick was now beyond confused at where he and Ellis stood. They weren't friends, that was for sure. That line was erased long ago… but where was it set now. Where would the line be drawn?

Ellis sat up a little and the shift sent shivers down his spine at the contact of bare skin. Leaning down he pressed his lips softly to Nick's. He didn't want to rush the feeling anymore or go about it in a violent manner. He just wanted to experience a quiet, passionate moment with Nick just to see what it was like. Maybe Ellis could pull something out of Nick that Nick didn't even realize he had.

For Nick's part he noticed the pace was slow. He wanted to delve in deeper, to push it faster but he held back. Instead of yanking Ellis closer Nick settled one hand gently in Ellis' hair and the other hand sliding lightly down his back.

Ellis had one arm supporting him and he brought the other arm up, curling his hand at the back of Nick's head. Pulling back a little, Ellis watched Nick's expressions, not sure what he was searching for but liking what he saw. Nick's deep green eyes stared back at him, something flickering in them.

Leaning in again Ellis pressed a little closer, pulled Nick in a little tighter, but kept the pace passionately slow. Nick felt himself inwardly groan, feeling teased at the pace but allowing Ellis to lead regardless.

Ellis traced his tongue along Nick's lower lip, asking permission. Nick was tempted to see what would happen if he didn't let Ellis in but decided to save that for another time. He let his eyes slip closed slowly as he allowed the feeling of the moment to overwhelm him. The firm press of Ellis' lips, the smooth movement of his tongue, the hum of content that slid out of Ellis' throat, it gave Nick a kind of warmth he couldn't recall feeling before. It was a slow burn beneath his skin, a soft fire flowing in his veins.

Nick gasped, caught by surprise as Ellis settled a thigh between the gambler's legs, putting just a little pressure against his groin.

"Ellis," Nick groaned, pulling back from the warmth of Ellis' mouth.

"Yeah?" Ellis' voice was breathless as he kissed down Nick's jaw, feather light.

"Don't start… what you don't intend…. on finishing." Nick forced his body to stay still as much as it longed to yank Ellis against him and have his way with him.

"I won't." Ellis' grin was complete mischief at this point, kissing the pulse point on Nick's neck before he bit down.

"Ellis…" Nick's body sought out the friction he had denied himself earlier, hips thrusting upwards as Ellis added a little more pressure. Nick's breath was starting to come out in pants as he directed Ellis' mouth back to his, going against his nature and pressing in a slow, tender kiss.

When Nick broke for air again Ellis went back to the spot he had bitten earlier, sloppily setting to work on a hicky. Ellis hadn't properly given anyone a hicky before but he understood what should be done and by the way Nick was reacting, he was doing it right. The thin cloth of Nick's briefs did nothing to hide the excitement coursing through his body, making Ellis smile as he dipped his hips down.

Nick's eyes were shut tight as Ellis invaded all of his senses. Ellis was all he could see when he opened his eyes. His scent was surfacing as their skin started to glisten with sweat. All of his nerve endings were on fire, attuned to Ellis' every movement. The gasps and soft moans that Ellis released were music to Nick.

Nick jutted up, arousal pressing against Ellis' thigh when Ellis bit into his neck again. Ellis trailed his tongue over it softly before pulling back, admiring his handiwork. He only got a quick glance before he was dragged back into a kiss, intense and passionate and not rushed in the least.

As Ellis dipped his hips down again Nick shifted so that their erections brushed through the fabric, pulling moans from both men.

"Ah man, Nick." Ellis panted, grinding his hips down again. He was so hard… all that blood rushing south. He wasn't sure how much longer this sweet torture would last.

Nick slid his hand from Ellis' back to his chest, trailing his fingers down Ellis' pecs and abs until they brushed the thin line of hair, Ellis' treasure trail. Ellis swallowed, fearing what he was feeling but trusting Nick. He rolled his hips down again before nodding at Nick, trying to show that he was ok.

Nick's hand slid into Ellis' boxers, happiness flooding through him that he was being trusted to do this. Ellis shuddered at the contact, locking his mouth with Nick's as a warm, course hand was wrapped around his erection.

Nick focused on trying everything, trying to figure out where Ellis was most sensitive. Nick grinned against Ellis' mouth when he noticed Ellis had a reaction to just about everything Nick did but the mechanic seemed to come apart when friction was set against one particular spot. As Nick worked his hand up and down he made sure to pay special attention to that spot and was rewarded with Ellis breaking down into a quivering mess.

"Nick… it's… I'm…" Ellis tried to warn.

"I've got you, Kid." Nick said, working a little harder, using Ellis' precum to slick him up and ease Nick's work.

"Niiiiiiick." Ellis whimpered, his body convulsing with orgasm. Nick's body went over the edge with Ellis, his voice calling to Nick's core. Everything was a warm haze as he came down from his orgasm, Ellis lying limply on his chest.

"Well that was fun." Nick didn't remember ever cumming without actual physical stimulation before. Ellis had got him over the edge just by moaning his name. Nick was in it so deep and he just kept digging a deeper grave. Nick pulled his hand out from between himself and Ellis, wiping his hand on his soiled briefs. Kissing Ellis sweetly on the forehead he enjoyed the afterglow moment with Ellis.

"Are you two gonna be ready to leave anytime soon?" Coach called to them, dampening Nick's buzz. He decided not to grace that with an answer, gently pushing Ellis onto his side and sitting up.

"You doing ok there, Fireball?" Nick asked, looking down at the mechanic. Ellis looked up at him, still a little out of it but nodding.

"Yeah, 'm ok I think. Jus' as long as we can do tha' again… maybe…" Ellis started out strong and then slowed with doubt. He looked up at Nick questioningly.

"You read my mind." Nick said, reaching over to give Ellis' ass a firm squeeze before getting out of bed. He smoothly slipped out of his boxers, using them to clean himself off before he slipped into his suit that had been set out very nicely next to Ellis' clothes. Rochelle must have put them in here after they finished drying.

"I dunno if I can go Commando." Ellis muttered softly, cheeks staining red.

"Here." Nick shot a pair of boxers at Ellis, hitting him in the face.

"Where'd you get these? Do ya even know if they're clean?" Ellis mumbled, pulling the underwear from his face. He slid out of the ones he was wearing, regardless, and Nick refrained from looking.

"You ready Ellis?" Nick asked, glancing back. Ellis nodded, setting his hat firmly on his head.

"Yep. Le's do this." Ellis and Nick left the room, picking up their weapons along the way.

"Anyone else notice the lack of ammo?" Rochelle asked, looking anywhere but at Nick and Ellis. Coach glared at them both, all of them disregarding Rochelle's question. They'd find ammo in the next safe house. They had enough to get them through for now.

"Here we go again!" Ellis said, his gun locked and loaded.

"Die bitches!" Nick shouted shooting common infected. It was always a good day when they didn't have to deal with special infected from the start.

Ellis lost himself to thought as he went on a zombie killing spree. As much as he tried to focus only half of his mind was on the creatures attacking him. Had he lost his virginity just a little while ago or did that even count? Ellis rolled his eyes at himself, annoyed with his question. It didn't matter either way in the end. He had been surprised with how gentle and tender Nick had remained throughout it all. Usually Nick would take over and put a violent, lust filled pace but not today.

"Ellis! Wake up, Boy!" Coach called, shooting a zombie that had been a little too close to Ellis.

"Shit! Thanks Coach." Ellis nodded his thanks as he tried to drag his mind into reality. It didn't go easily, kicking and screaming the whole way, throwing more random thoughts about Nick at him.

"Hey Fireball, we kind of need you alive…? Ring a bell?" Nick shouted as Ellis was taken down. He lay on the ground, stunned, before Nick helped him back to his feet.

"Yeah, sorry." Ellis said, shaking his head. He made an honest effort to clear his mind but the way Nick had said his name earlier was being breathed into his ears and his vision filled with Nick's expressions.

"Sweetheart, Focus. If you go down again I'm afraid there won't be anything we can do for you." Rochelle said as she helped Ellis to his feet again. In Ellis' defense that zombie had come out of nowhere, catching him off guard. Deciding there were better distractions that he could at least keep partial focus on Ellis started rambling.

"Shoot guys, all this mud reminds me of my buddy Keith. See he was goin' ta build a shack once, to live in an' all, an' I know most people here, they build houses an' they become shacks, but Keith, he was about jumpin' right to the shack stage. But he had no wood. So he got some mud an' was makin' what we were all thinkin' was gonna be these adobe bricks, you know, like when them people out West made bricks an' shit? Well, he had mud and…"

"Ellis, is now really the best time?" Rochelle cut in.

"Yeah boy, you've been distracted enough. Just keep your mind on the zombies." Coach said as they continued on their way.

Nick vaguely noticed that he was getting low on ammo but figured he'd just pick some more up at the next safe house. Pulling out his axe, regardless, he started chopping zombie heads like no tomorrow. He always kept one eye out for Ellis. The kid seemed to be totally out of it and Nick shook his head. They had really bad timing… and if it got Ellis killed Nick would put a bullet through his own head. Well, if it actually happened he wasn't sure if he'd go that far but it was a nice sentiment, Nick figured.

"Goddammit, Overalls!" Nick said, lunging in front of Ellis as a hunter pounced. Nick and the Hunter fell into the mud, the Hunter slightly thrown off from the change in direction. They rolled over and over, fighting to get the upper hand. Nick knew that the Hunter had the advantage with strength and claws but Nick had some advantages as well.

Nick's arms got sliced up as he blocked the blows that would have his guts spilling. Nick finally got the Hunter pinned down, its jaws snapping at his face as he held the wrists down. As much as Nick had won the little struggle he had lost as well because if the Hunter broke loose from his grip it would be able to rip him to shreds. He couldn't reach for a weapon to finish it off, either.

"Move!" Was shouted at Nick and he rolled away from the Hunter as a bat came down on its head. Ellis reached out and helped Nick to his feet, his eyes sliding over the wounds that now littered Nick's arms.

"Hold up guys! I'm healin' Nick." Ellis called as he pulled the health kit from his back. Nick took a breath, ready to tell Ellis that he didn't need it but Ellis already had a hold of one of his arms and was cleaning the cuts and bandaging it swiftly and correctly.

Nick noticed a lot of his own blood ended up on Ellis' hands as the mechanic fixed him up. Coach and Rochelle provided cover while Ellis finished up, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Well that's sanitary." Nick said, bumping Ellis.

"Thanks Nick." Ellis responded, eyes sweeping back to Nick's arms and torn up suit. Nick gave Ellis' shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Just keep your wits about you now, ok? I prefer that your innards remain inside of you." Nick poked Ellis' stomach before they rejoined Coach and Rochelle and continued on their path.

"I'll do mah best." Ellis nodded, hefting his gun and shooting down several nearby zombies. Ellis' mind was shoved into reality at the thought that Nick had just risked his life because Ellis wasn't paying attention.

Ellis focused on the dead faces that came at him, shooting them down just to move on to the next face. It went back to a fairly normal run through the swamp, ending up in areas of mud that was all the way up to their waists.

"Ah, what is this?" Coach shouted as he was hit with Spitter goo.

"Watch out, Coach!" Ellis shouted as the spitter got close enough to attack. He shot it down, grinning to himself as it fell to the ground. He ran over to Coach, seeing that the damage wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. When Rochelle offered to heal Coach anyway Coach shook his head, saying he was fine.

"Does anyone else see that nasty green shit?" Rochelle said, pointing to a small lake of acid green water. Coach and Nick eyed the lake wearily, keeping a fair distance from it.

"Looks like a lake of Spitter Goo!" Ellis said enthusiastically, the only one not completely worried about the lake though he did make sure not to jump into it.

"I wonder how much the environment is being changed because of this Green Flu." Rochelle muttered, glaring at the lake of green when she wasn't taking down zombies. She had put her guns to the side for now, saving the ammo for when she'd really need it. Something told her that they might not be finding any more ammo anytime soon… so she used a frying pan she had picked up a little while ago.

"Man, if Keith were here he'd probly be all over checkin' tha' stuff out." Ellis said, gesturing to the lake. "He'd probly be the first ta jump in, whether 's safe er not. It reminds a this one time, me an' Keith were out explorin' an' we ran across this ol' abandoned building. An' well a course we had ta go check it out an' found out tha' whoever was in the building last left in an awful hurry an' left all his stuff buh-hind an' so me an' Keith were checkin' it out an' I swear we ran across stuff just tha' shade a green an' so Keith dared me ta drink it but I ain't stupid so I told him, him first an' he did and well.. long story short, we had ta call the hospital on account a Keith feelin' sick an' turns out wha' he drank shoulda killed him. Doctor's er always amazed by jus' how much Keith can live through an'-"

"Ellis?" Nick said, cutting Ellis off.

"Yeah Nick?"

"Not the time." Nick said.

"Yeah, ok." Ellis nodded, feeling a little put out. He shook it off relatively quickly.

The survivors fought in silence for a while, checking in houses for ammo and health kits. Like Rochelle had noticed the ammo was all wiped out and now the other survivors were noticing too.

"Well… maybe they're some other survivors holed up somewhere?" Ellis suggested, always the optimist.

"I suppose that's possible… but something seems off." Coach said, picking up a health kit that they had found in surplus around the area.

"Why wouldn't they bring the health kits, too?" Rochelle said, noticing how many health kits were lying around the place.

"Good question." Nick said, picking up one of the health kits and strapping it to his back.

They continued on, feeling like something was extremely off. They made sure to keep their eyes peeled for any movement, all of them using melee weapons now to save up on ammo.

"Does this swamp ever end?!" Nick shouted several days later, wanting to get out of this area that had stained his suit beyond repair. The zombies had kept attacking in a steady flow, never too much to handle but enough to keep the survivors on their guard. Ellis also noticed the lack of special infected… in fact the last time he remembered seeing one was when a smoker had gotten Nick a couple days back. It was not a normal thing to go on for days without a special infected…

"Go ahead. Shout Louder! Bring a Horde down on us." Coach sneered, the uneasiness making everyone cranky.

"Alright you two, just breathe. We're going to find our way out of here." Rochelle said, looking between the two men. It wouldn't get them very far if they all started fighting with each other.

Ellis was caught up in his own thoughts. Nick and he hadn't done anything together since the morning after the hypothermia. They hadn't really been able to get any time alone, most of the safe houses being one room shacks or the beds being in the same room. Still it set Ellis on edge… he wasn't quite sure how things were supposed to work and he wondered if he had done something wrong.

Nick was getting tired of all the mud and swamp water around them. As he marched through more swamp sludge his mind almost longingly thought of the carnival and towns and everything before this godforsaken swamp. If he never saw a swamp again it would be too soon.

"Has anyone else noticed how quiet it is?" Rochelle whispered, looking around. There were no infected anywhere…

"Maybe we killed 'em all?" Ellis suggested, turning in circles to see if he could spot any movement. Something moved in the shadows but it was fast enough Ellis didn't know what it was.

"You know Nick, things could be worse." Coach said, oblivious to Rochelle and Ellis' concern.

"That's not the point, Coach. We're in some right shit right now." Nick said, voice rising again.

"You need to calm your shit down, Boy." Coach stared Nick down but Nick wouldn't be cowed. He glared right back, both men sizing the other up.

"And. If. I. Don't?" Nick ground out slowly.

"You guys?" Rochelle said, something made her heart pound in fear. Adrenaline coursed through her body as it took on the fight or flight mode. Shadows kept flickering behind the trees, always moving fast enough that Rochelle couldn't figure out what they were. She and Ellis backed towards Nick and Coach, eyes flickering in terror.

"I dunno wha's goin' on but 's not good." Ellis said, bat wavering slightly. He wasn't sure what was scaring him… he usually wasn't scared. Well, at least not the kind of scared that surfaced. He was usually pretty good about hiding the fear well enough that he no longer believed it was there. But this fear… it was coursing through his blood and his brain was telling him that he should be running. Meanwhile Coach and Nick got into a shouting match which just added to Rochelle and Ellis' alarm.

"You guys!" Rochelle hissed at Coach and Nick, finally getting their attention. They both turned glares on her until they saw the panic on her face.

"What is it?" Nick said, pointing his sword at different areas. He'd been really happy to have found a sword again, they were really handy.

"We don't know." Rochelle said softly, eyes never slowing or leaving the surrounding forest. The shadow flashed closer, still just out of sight.

"What the hell is that?" Coach said, anxiety starting to rise in him as well.

"Bad news." Ellis said, his bat quivering as Ellis tried to keep the shadow from getting behind him. Another one appeared. Two shadows were stalking them…

"What do we do?" Rochelle whispered.

"Run!" Nick said, grabbing Ellis' arm and pulling him in the direction they had been heading. The shadow flashed in front of him and he swerved sharply, going right.

"They're keeping up easy. Why aren't they attacking us?" Coach said as he huffed at the back of the pack. Nick turned to go in their rightful direction again only to once again be blocked. He went to go left now, instead, and found the other shadow flashing across his path. Terror flooded through Nick now, as well, as he turned to head back, shadow continually appearing at their heels.

Ellis could have sworn he'd seen this before… somewhere. It seemed familiar and it was like it was right on the tip of his tongue. While Nick tried to turn them back in the right direction again he was blocked yet again, being pushed in one specific direction. Pictures flashed in Ellis eyes of when he helped out at his Aunt's cow farm… how they had to herd the cows on foot…

"Guys! Guys, Stop! We're bein' herded!" Ellis called, coming to a complete stop and yanking Nick back with him. Rochelle collided with him and Coach came up a few minutes later, panting.

"Thanks for waiting." Coach huffed out.

"What did you say, Overalls?" Nick asked, glancing at Ellis nervously before his eyes glanced around the surrounding area.

"We're. Bein'. Herded." Ellis bit out, panting slightly.

"What do you mean, Sweetie?" Rochelle said, feeling her heart leap as she saw a shadow flash again.

"We're bein' lead somewhere. Most likely somewhere we don' wanna go." Ellis slipped his arm out of Nick's grip to take the gambler's hand in his, squeezing it in fear. Nick gave a squeeze back, looking at Ellis with concern.

"Why are you thinking that?" Coach asked, having been at the back and not noticing what was happening up front.

"No, it makes sense. Whenever we try going anywhere but where we're facing now we get blocked." It dawned on Nick… but that just lead to more terror, making his heart pump faster. Why were they being herded? What could possibly wait for them at the end of this direction?

The shadow appeared behind them, staying just far enough away that it still couldn't be made out. It growled low and Rochelle tried to swallow around the heart that had just become lodged in her throat.

"So what do we do?" She whispered.

"Well… we could try facin wha's herdin' us." Ellis suggested.

"Or we can follow where we're lead and see what's waiting for us." Nick finished, kind of curious what kind or creature would herd them. He wasn't really all that interested in finding out what waited for them, though.

"Let's see what we've got chasing us." Coach said, raising his gun at the shadow which was still seeable, but just out of the light. Before Coach could pull the trigger, however, something lunged for his gun and tore it from his hands.

"They're hunters!" Rochelle was able to get a glimpse of the zombie as it tore the gun to pieces before disappearing into shadows again.

"No' like any a them hunters I ever seen." Ellis said doubtfully. "They don' act that way…"

"Well obviously they aren't normal hunters." Rochelle said, rolling her eyes.

"Bet they can still die, though." Nick said, his sword at the ready. He peered around, starting to head back in the direction they'd come. Nick only had a moment to flinch before the zombie was on him, ripping his sword from his hands.

"Man those sons a bitches are hella fast!" Ellis said. He'd be intrigued and excited if he weren't terrified at the notion. The hunter backed off from Nick, sword held tightly in its jaws. It disappeared a moment, then reappeared. The sword was nowhere in sight.

Nick stood up stubbornly, facing down with the hunter. Nick took a step towards it and it hissed menacingly. Nick reached for one of his guns slowly, watching as the hunter bared it's teeth at him. Nick grabbed the gun but was attacked from the back, ending up face down in the mud before he could pull the gun from his belt.

Face down in the mud, Nick checked to see the weight on his back. He felt sharp edges dig into the skin on his back and he stopped moving, holding his breath.

The hunter not on Nick approached the survivors growling menacingly. They took a step back, not sure what to do. The second hunter raised a clawed hand, looking at the other survivors and the first hunter growled again.

"I think they're trying to tell us something." Rochelle said, as perplexed as she was distressed.

"Oh I know what they're saying. They're holding Nick for ransom, ransom being our weapons." Coach said softly.

"But then… we'll be defenseless." Rochelle said softly.

"Exactly. At this point I think it's us, or him. We can go down fighting them… and have them kill Nick for certain or we could all die together." Coach said, his fingers twitching. Rochelle and Ellis looked at each other before looking down at Nick. Nick knew what he'd do if the situation was reversed… he clenched for impact.

There were a few resounding thuds as Rochelle, Ellis, and Coach dropped their weapons and took a step back from them, raising their hands in defeat. The hunter promptly destroyed the weapons before he grunted to the other hunter which got off of Nick. Ellis rushed to help Nick up.

"We're all going to die." Coach said softly, as if in acceptance. The hunters growled at Nick until he too, dropped the guns he had stored in his belt. The first hunter took the lead, looking behind itself to make sure the survivors were following while the second hunter took up the rear.

"We're going to need to split up." Nick whispered to the rest which got surprised glances from the rest of them.

"They're jus' gonna catch us." Ellis responded, doubtfully.

"Not if we play our cards right." Nick murmured softly. "They obviously don't want to kill us yet and I'm not going to wait for them to. So here's what we're going to do."

The hunters growled in suspicion as the survivors whispered to each other. They were caught completely off guard as the survivors suddenly split, all in different directions. Sighing inwardly the hunters both picked a survivor to go after, quickly taking down their chosen prey.

Ellis fell with a crash, a heavy weight slamming into his back. The weight left his back and he was confronted with a vicious growl, causing his heart to thunder in his chest. He raised his hands in defeat. At least Nick had gotten away.

Ellis was grouped back up with Coach and the other hunter shortly, still being pushed toward what must be certain doom.

Nick watched from behind a tree as Ellis was herded once again. Ellis and Coach… of course they would get Coach. Nick had figured this much would happen… Following only close enough to barely see them he noticed Rochelle doing the same. They shared a glance before they continued stalking the creatures that had stalked them.

After walking for what felt like a couple hours a sight that Ellis couldn't have even imagined met his stunned eyes. His heart sank to his knees… how were they going to get out of trouble this time?


	16. Prisoners By Design?

Sorry about this taking so long. It was a mixture of sickness on my computer's part and several back tracks as the story took a turn I didn't quite like (you know how stories get a mind of their own sometimes). Anyways, here you go Hope you guys like it :D Chapter 17, here I come!

chapter 16

Ellis tumbled into a small, white room. His clumsiness had him landing hard on his face as fear, confusion, and a tiny bit of curiosity clouded his mind.

"Get up, kid." Coach helped Ellis to his feet. The doors swished shut behind them, causing them to look back. The hunters were no longer in sight.

Ellis walked over to the door, touching it cautiously.

"I have a feeling that's not going to open for us." Coach said softly, looking at Ellis. The mechanic met his gaze and Coach could plainly see the fear hidden inside, barely kept at bay.

The men glanced around, taking in their very white surroundings. The outside of the building had seemed to have been built in a color scheme that allowed it to blend into the swamp.

"Think this might be like area 51 'cept fer zombies?" Ellis attempted to lighten the situation.

"Would explain why CEDA had been attempting to help the people here." Coach mused.

"That would make a ton a sense!" Ellis was suddenly enthusiastic.

Ellis had no warning as Nick and Rochelle fell through the suddenly open doors, the hunters crouching right behind them. Ellis caught Rochelle on reflex as Nick hit the floor unceremoniously. The hunters skulked in behind them as the door swished closed again.

"Now that you're all here," a pleasant voice spoke out, "Let me show you to your rooms."

"Are we gonna be stayin' here?" Ellis asked, looking to his colleagues. Nick brushed himself off as he stood up.

Nick glanced around his surroundings before replying. "Yeah. And I doubt we'll have the freedom to check out."

"So we're like…. Prisoners?" Ellis scratched the back of his neck, unsure how to take this strange turn of events.

"Now don't think of it that way." The voice pleaded. "You're my guests."

"Guests that were caught and herded like cows by your dogs." Nick growled, pointing to the hunters. Their golden eyes glared at him but did nothing to attack him. Instead one took the lead while the other flanked behind, pushing the survivors out of the white room.

There was a short amount of quiet before the voice said. "Better that than risking my own safety with those monstrosities out there."

"Yeah? And what about the two in here?" Nick tried to catch on to where the voice was coming from but couldn't pinpoint it.

"They're harmless. I've trained them."

"Then why aren'tcha out here too? Who are you, anyway?" Ellis questioned, eyeing the speakers the voice seemed to come from.

"My pets are harmless. You four, however… not so much."

"Tha's only answerin' one a my questions."

The survivors tried to keep track as they were led down hallway after hallway, all looking the same as the last. There were no memorable differences between one turn and the next, doors having the same shape and all the walls seeming to be painted the same dull white.

"I am a scientist. The last one working here." The voice answered in a clipped tone. There was an unnatural quiet as the survivors reached a series of rooms. The wall they ran along was transparent but the other three walls in each room looked similar to a regular apartment of sorts. The survivors reasoned that it may be for safe observation of the zombies that were caught, like in the movies except there didn't seem to be in zombies in any of the rooms…. They were decently furbished at least; each had a bed, a dresser, chairs, and other random assortments of furniture.

"Each of you will have your own rom. I hope you sleep well." Ellis glanced at Nick at this new development.

"You sure we can't… _share _a room? 's wha' we been'-"

"No." Was the curt reply and Ellis received a shove from behind which sent him tumbling into the room. The door slammed shut.

Nick slipped into the next room over, then Rochelle, and Coach was at the end. As soon as the doors were shut and locked behind each survivor a man in a white coat strolled down the hall, looking at each person in turn. The scientist had a face that looked like it had once been kind and open but had hardened through hard times. His black hair was trimmed unevenly, mostly kept out of his eyes but otherwise unruly. No glasses accompanied this scientist which Ellis sighed at… a scientist just couldn't be a scientist without shiny specs and a huge white lab coat. The scientist paused after a few moments of pacing, a calculating expression setting into his cold features.

With a swift 'goodnight' the scientist left, the hunters trailing at his heels.

Ellis took in his surroundings. The three regular walls were cream colored and a quick bounce on the cot showed it to be of average comfort, for a cot (so in simpler terms, not very comfortable at all). There was even a desk with a notebook and pencil. A thumping noise interrupted Ellis' observations.

"Give it a rest, Nick." Coach's voice demanded.

"Fuck you." Was Nick's response but the noise stopped none-the-less. It bothered Ellis that he couldn't see any of his companions even though they were so close.

A familiar voice whispered through the wall. "Ellis?"

"Yeah Nick?" Ellis replied, kneeling next to the wall and resting his palm against the cold obstacle.

"We're going to make it out of this."

"How do you reckon that?"

"Remember all that other shit we've survived? This isn't anything in comparison."

"I disagree. We ain't ever been up against anythin' like this."

"Just trust me, ok?"

"Yeah, ok." Ellis swiftly grabbed the pillow and blanket on his cot and set up a make-shift bed. There was the sound of shifting and then a moment of silence.

"Are you still there, Nick?" Ellis whispered. There was a soft knocking a little farther up the wall.

"I'm right here, kid. I don't plan on going anywhere."

No one slept very well. They were all too concerned about what may be waiting for them when the morning arrived. Ellis flinched awake as the door to his room was opened. There was a clattering as a tray was set down on a table by the scientist, his trusty Hunters guarding his back.

Ellis stayed where he was, waiting until the scientist slipped back out, before he went over and investigated. Scrambled eggs on toast lay in front of him with a side of orange juice. Walking over to the wall that kept him from Nick he knocked lightly. He grinned to himself at the received knock in return.

"You reckon it's safe?"

"It passes my inspection but that's not worth much." Nick replied.

"Maybe one of us should take a chance just in case?"

"I'm sure Coach is already digging in."

"I heard that." Grumbled Coach.

"Correct me if I'm wrong." Nick replied. Ellis could almost see Nick's smirk at the silence that answered.

"Tastes fine to me." Coach finally acquiesced.

"A lot can't be tasted." There was a thump and Ellis couldn't tell what it was caused by.

"Do ya think it might be a test a some sort?" Ellis sat down, leaning against the wall.

"I don't know, Ace." Nick replied softly.

Time passed immeasurably slow and Ellis' only real way of keeping track was through his hunger. He figured it was almost lunch time when the scientist appeared in front of his room. He disappeared a moment and Ellis guessed he was pacing the rooms before stopping in front of his room again.

"He'll do." The scientist gestured at Ellis, opening the door. Ellis could feel his heart quicken as the Hunters came into his room.

"No funny business, now." The scientist approached Ellis slowly, as if cornering a wild animal. It was pretty close to the same.

Ellis backed up until he hit the back wall, eyes wide with fear.

"Ellis? Ellis what's going on?" Nick called and Ellis could hear Nick scrambling around but he couldn't respond. The scientist brought a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. The hunters snarled to remind Ellis of their presence.

It was a split second decision that had Ellis complying with good behavior. For some reason he doubted that, if he was going to be killed, it wouldn't be this time around. Plus Ellis always found it annoying when the heroes didn't play along for a little while, waiting for the upper hand. He always found that if they had just pretended to be cooperative, they'd have had easier openings for escape. That's the main reason he held his arms out towards the scientist, hands together. Why not go along with the game for now and make a game plan for escape later.

"That's good. It'll be ok." The scientist clicked the handcuffs onto Ellis' wrists before leading the way out. Ellis was hesitant to follow for a moment but after a nudge from a Hunter it was either go willingly or be dragged. Ellis took a strong hold of his courage and marched determinedly behind the scientist.

Ellis was lead down a maze of hallways and he wondered to himself how the scientist didn't get lost. He tried to keep track of the turns they took but in the end he felt like they were going in circles. A thought tickled at the back of his mind at the possibility of being lead in circles but he brushed it away, curious to see what information he could glean from the man in the lab coat.

"So…uh… are ya at least gonna tell me what yer plannin' on doin' ta me?" He got no reply as they finally came to a stop in front of a room.

"Hey, Mister?" Ellis pushed, a little irked at being ignored. Still no response as he was lead into a room that reminded him of when his mom took him to the hospital. Well this wasn't going according to plan at all.

Ellis finally stopped walking, causing the Hunters to bump into him.

"Now wait a gosh darn minute. I have at least a right to know what yer plannin' ta do with me! Or ya know, at least yer name. This is my life yer foolin' with after all."

"…..Tom. My name is Tom." The scientist spoke after a beat, face softening a little. "Now if you'd sit here."

Ellis sat where Tom gestured and tried to keep his voice even.

"Tom huh? Tha's a lot less scary than wha' I was picturin'" Ellis said, watching Tom as he moved around the office like room. Ellis wasn't sure if he caught a smile or not. He swallowed, trying to figure out how to phrase what he was thinking. He wanted to see if he could find out if this procedure would be deadly or not.

"Mr. Tom, sir?"

Tom gave Ellis a strange look before nodding his approval for Ellis to continue.

"Are you gonna kill us?"

Tom paused. He stood up straight and looked into Ellis' eyes. "I don't plan to."

"Well tha's kinda helpful I guess." Ellis said softly. A quiet voice in his mind wondered at the possibility of Tom lying, considering it would be beneficial. If mechanic knew for certain he would die he'd probably be more inclined to fight. Ellis shrugged… there was the rule to never trust someone until they gave you a reason to trust them but these circumstances seemed special somehow.

"'m Ellis by th' way." Ellis offered out his hand and Tom looked at it for a moment before grasping it and giving it a soft shake.

"I'm sure it's a pleasure to meet you. Too bad it can't be under better circumstances."

There was quiet as Ellis watched Tom move around the room, collecting needles and bottles."So what are you doin' up here all on yer lonesome?"

There was a long hesitation before Tom answered. "Trying to find a cure."

"I knew it!" Ellis whooped, fist pumping. The action yanked his other arm into the air and he almost punched Tom. "Sorry."

Tom readjusted his jacket before giving Ellis a cool glance. "You're pretty optimistic for finding out that you'll be a guinea pig."

Ellis felt a little sheepish. "Yeah well… I figure if you can save tons of lives, mine is kinda trivial right? But… can I ask something of you?"

Tom didn't respond. His expression seemed to have turned stony and Ellis was afraid he had said something wrong. Swallowing he attempted to regain the scientist's attention.

"Tom?" Ellis said softly causing the scientist to stop and look at him.

"Yes?"

"Would it be too much to ask… Could you maybe not experiment on Nick? Unless a course you find the fer real antidote. He's the guy in the whitish suit…"

Tom gave him a look of surprise.

"Of all the things I was expecting you to say that was not it." Tom took out a needle, flicking the tip lightly. "Others would beg or barter with me to spare them of whatever I planned. You're definitely something else."

Tom shook his head to himself as he brought the needle in to rest in the crook of Ellis' arm. Ellis held perfectly still, squinting his eyes shut.

"What's so special about Nick? Why choose him apart from your other comrades?" Tom's curiosity had won out.

Ellis froze a second; that's not what he'd meant when he'd said it. Rochelle and Coach deserved to be spared as well… but he doubted his one life was worth three others.

"He deserves a second chance." Ellis said simply as the prick of the needle pushed into his arm. Tom was silent as he focused on the task at hand and stayed silent for a short while longer while he continued poking and prodding. Ellis was vaguely aware of blood being drawn and then being injected with something. Finding strength in the quiet Ellis swallowed his guilt of choosing Nick over Rochelle and Coach.

Ellis opened his eyes, meeting Tom's gaze determinedly. Strong, deep blue eyes stared into Tom's and Tom could see he was being sincere. Tom looked away first, reaching out for a band-aide. Ellis caught a smile for sure this time as Tom picked out a sparkly band-aide and settled it over the prick of blood beginning to show on Ellis' arm.

"I'll see what I can do." Tom said softly before gently taking a hold of Ellis' arm and leading him out, back into the maze of hallways. "What do you think I'm going to do to you anyway?"

"Well ya gotta test the antidote somehow I fig're. I just don' wantcha testin' a faulty antidote an' turnin' him into a zombie is all." Ellis said, realizing he was basically saying he was ok with being turned into a zombie. That wasn't what he meant either. For the most part he just didn't want anyone else messing with Nick and something going potentially wrong.

"Have confidence. Maybe I'll get it right the first go." Tom said, patting Ellis fondly. Ellis stretched a smile across his face but there was a fear niggling at the back of his mind. It was a very real possibility that Ellis wouldn't make it out of this human.

"Anyway, that's why I took blood to begin with. Scientific method and all." Tom said. They were passing the rooms from the opposite direction now and Ellis looked in to see Rochelle and Coach. Nausea swept through him… his momma had always said it was no man's right to play God. Had he just done that in asking for Nick's safety?

When they reached Nick's room he noticed and caught Nick's worried gaze. He attempted to smile reassuringly but it felt wrong, like it didn't fit his face. His stomach twisted sickeningly and he turned away.

"What have you done to him you Son of a Bitch?!" Nick shouted, slamming into the transparent wall. "What have you done?! What have you done?!"

Tom removed Ellis' handcuffs and left the room, quiet as a shadow. Ellis moved over to the wall, noticing idly that the uneaten scrambled eggs had been replaced by a couple hot dogs. He stared at the food in disinterest, wondering what Tom had done to him exactly. Maybe this antidote has some strange side effects… Ellis felt his mind go into a kind of fog, blocking off thought to prevent panic from setting in.

Ellis knew he was overthinking how he was feeling which could be causing him to feel what wasn't physically happening to him… It reminded him briefly of an experiment he had heard once… where patients were given sugar pills and told they were actual medication and the patients mentioned getting better, even though there was no real reason for them to be better. This time it was just opposite, Ellis was panicking about what could come about but wasn't a definite outcome… because there could be no side effects at all.

Ellis rested his hand against the wall. They felt hot and clammy in comparison to the cool surface. He wondered if he was going to die… wondered if he was on his way to becoming a zombie.

"Kid? Ellis? Are you ok?" Nick's voice gave Ellis some reassurance.

"Well…. 'm still alive." Ellis responded, forcing himself to pull out of his worry. A soft spoken part of his brain added 'for now.'

Nick shook off the need to question Ellis about everything, instead finding a distraction more called for. "So do you think you or Keith will have killed more zombies by the end of this?" Ellis was surprised Nick hadn't asked what the scientist had done to him.

"You ain't curious bout what happ'ned ta me?"

"If you want to tell me than by all means, shoot, but I'm not dredging it up on my own accord." Nick said, taking a deep breath.

"They didn' do nothin' horrible. Just took some blood an' gave me a shot."

"It seemed pretty horrible by your expression." Nick was not convinced.

"Well I guess 'm jus' a lil worried 'bout wha' was _in_ the shot." Ellis responded. It wasn't completely a lie but honestly he felt like he had betrayed Coach and Rochelle by asking for Nick's safety as well. Nick wasn't sure what he could say… what could he do to help? There was silence for a little while, the only noise coming from Nick drumming his fingers against a wall.

"Got anythin' interestin' in yer room?" Ellis asked, needing to break the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"Like games or a notebook an' pencil or like I dunno, sumthin' ta pass the time."

Searching their rooms together they came up fairly empty handed except for each having a notebook and a pencil. Ellis needed something to focus on so he brainstormed on something they could do.

"Hey Nick! Know how ta play battleship?"

"Uh… sure. Why? Did you find a game board?" Nick was lost.

"Nope!" Nick could hear the grin in Ellis' voice.

"Than what does it matter?"

"We could draw up boards!"

"That's not such a bad idea…" Nick said softly, looking at the notebook.

"Do ya remember if the numbers go on the side? Do ya remember how many squares it was s'posed to be? How many ships do we get each?" Ellis rattled off, not giving Nick the chance to answer.

"Ellis, it's completely up to us. How big do you want it? How many ships do you want?"

"Uhhh…" Ellis responded intelligently. Nick smirked.

"How about we have a 5x5 size board. The letters can be on the side and the numbers on the bottom. And we can each have three ships, one that's three spaces and two that are two. Sound fair?"

"Yeah, I guess so!"

The two men drew up their boards and placed their ships without saying anything.

"What do ya think the walls er made of fer us ta hear each other so well?" Ellis mused as he finished labeling his board.

"Valid question." Nick replied, having no real clue of what it could be.

"I wonder if i's somethin' tha's rare cuz I ain't ever heard someone as clear as you when talkin' through a wall."

"You've talked through a wall before? Never mind, it is you after all. Why don't you take first shot?" Nick wasn't really interested about the walls unless they were something he could break through. It wasn't. He had already checked. And been berated by Coach.

"Ok!" Ellis said, facing the wall. "C5?"

"Miss. D3?"

"Miss. D5?"

"Miss. A1?"

"Miss. E5?"

"Hit. I don't quite remember… do you get to continue until you miss?"

"Naw. Yer turn."

They continued on like that, trading hits and misses until Nick was triumphant and they started over again. And again.

Time passed quickly… or at least quicker than it had. It went really well, both men enjoying themselves until Rochelle was led away by the hunters. A new wave of guilt hit Ellis. Nick noticed Ellis' silence but took it as concern for Rochelle which he felt as well.

"I'm sure she'll be ok. She's pretty tough.. you know… for a female."

"I hope so." Ellis said softly. Nick wondered how to salvage the situation.

"Hey, are you going to sink my ship or what?"

"I dunno, Nick. I don' really feel like it."

"Well what do you feel like doing?"

"I dunno."

"What else can we play?" Nick pushed. Ellis shook his head, well aware Nick couldn't see.

"Ellis?" No reply.

"Goddammit kid, talk to me." Nick growled, wishing he could break the wall down. Wondering if Ellis could resist a challenge Nick came up with a plan.

"Alright. This word has 7 letters. It's something you need to have right now. What letter do you guess first?"

There was quiet and Nick's forehead hit the wall, upset that it hadn't worked.

"A?" Ellis asked softly.

"Yes. 5th spot."

"E?"

"Yes. Last letter."

"I?"

"Nope. There is now a head hanging from a Noose."

"O?"

"2nd letter."

"U?"

"3rd letter."

Ellis looked at his paper: _OU_A_E.

"Uhhh…." Ellis scratched at his neck.

"That's a sound. You're looking for another letter." Nick attempted humor.

"Not real funny." Ellis muttered. Nick was aware.

"Still waiting for your next guess." Nick snarked.

"B?"

"Nope. That head has a torso."

"C?"

"1st letter."

Ellis stared at his page, completely baffled.: COU_A_E.

"S? T?" Ellis guessed.

"Nope and Nope. This guy has legs now."

"G?"

"6th letter." Nick was slightly surprised Ellis hadn't figured it out just yet. Ellis stared at the almost word before it clicked.

"Courage."

"Yep. Something we all need a healthy dose of. Good job Ace. Well what do you want to do now?" Nick said. The anger of being trapped boiled beneath Nick's surface.

"Well we didn' finish our game."

"Good point." Nick said, glad Ellis was working with him now.

Ellis and Nick finished that round and were half way through a game with a 7x7 board with four ships when Rochelle got back.

"You ok, girl?" Coach called.

"I think so?" Rochelle responded.

"What'd he do to you?" Nick questioned.

"Took some blood than injected me with something." Rochelle answered.

"How do you feel?" Coach asked.

"Any ideas on what you were injected with?" Nick added in.

"I don't know what it was but I don't really feel any different." Rochelle's voice was unsure but sincere.

"Did he say anything to you?"

"No…he refused to talk to me."

"You'd think an evil mastermind would want to divulge his plans." Nick grouched. It was strange hearing his friend's voices but not being able to see them. Nick didn't like the separation… at what point would they disappear and not come back?

"I don' think he's an evil mastermind. He told me he's workin' on an antidote." Ellis divulged.

"I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Don't listen to him Ellis… he could be planning on turning us into his undead army, like his two guard dogs. Where do you think they came from?"

Ellis had no response for that. His slight hope had been shattered. What if Tom was lying? Ellis had never really been one to know when he was being lied to. Maybe it wasn't an antidote after all… but Ellis honestly hoped it was.

Next to be taken was Coach. Ellis could feel his gut twist. He wondered if Tom had taken his words into consideration. Was Nick next?

Ellis felt his stomach grumble despite his feeling of nausea. He looked at the hot dogs lying unobtrusively on the table. Getting up to observe the food he poked at it curiously. Sniffing, he picked it up gingerly, taking a bite. It didn't taste any differently than any other hot dog he had eaten. He grabbed the packets of ketchup, smearing them messily over both hot dogs, before digging in. Realizing he was scarfing it a little too fast Ellis forced him-self to chew slower, keeping one eye trained on the door.

Coach came back shortly, announcing that he had gone through the same treatment as Rochelle and Coach. Ellis held his breath, waiting to hear a struggle of any sort. Moving next to the wall, Ellis knocked quietly.

"I guess I'm next, huh?" Nick deadpanned, tapping his knuckled against the wall in reply to Ellis. Ellis remained silent, anxiety blocking his voice as he waited. And waited. It felt like eternities had passed but Ellis figured it had only been about 5-6 minutes.

"So are we just going to be trapped here until we die?" Coach called out. A slam echoed around the rooms.

"I think I'd rather be eaten by zombies. " Rochelle muttered.

There was a creak and Ellis figured Coach had collapsed on his bed.

"Today has been very progressive." The suddenness of the voice startled the survivors. "Hopefuly tomorrow will continue going as well. As for now you need your rest. Sleep well."

The lights were out and suddenly everyone was in darkness. Ellis found his makeshift bed, curling up and trying to get comfortable.

"Well that was informative." Nick's voice sounded right next to Ellis' ear.

"What do ya think we should do?"

"Right now? What can we do?"

"Nothin' tha' I can see."

"Well I'll tell you if I figure anything out."

"Thanks Nick."

"No problem, Ellis."

Ellis fell into a fitful sleep, swept up in a darkness he couldn't escape. It would be a long time before Morning would come.

Two weeks passed with the survivors being left alone except to be brought food, to occasionally have blood drawn (all four survivors), and told to go to bed. Coach spent most of his time sleeping, which under the circumstances wasn't completely deplorable. Rochelle was silent in her room and hated being interrupted for conversation. By the sounds Nick guessed she was writing something but she never admitted to it nor said what she might be writing. Nick had never been taken in for the shot which confused Nick but eased Ellis' mind. Ellis, for his part, hadn't been sleeping well but otherwise was fine. They had also discovered that the food was safe or had an effect that took longer than two weeks to take hold.

A soft knock woke Nick from his musings.

"Something wrong Ellis?"

Ellis had become increasingly quiet as the days passed. On a normal day Nick would have appreciated the ability to hear himself think but when talking is the only way of knowing Ellis was alright… the quiet really worried him.

"Bein' in here is tearin' our group apart." Ellis whispered. He sounded lost and it tore at Nick's heart. Ellis was done waiting to find out what was going to happen to him. He was sick of not having his choice in fate anymore. They had survived running from the zombies just to end up trapped here?

A blackness swept up inside Ellis' heart and he felt anger seethe inside of him. He had never felt the emotion so intensely before, usually having a more peaceful nature. Still, he couldn't stand being cooped up any longer… even if Tom was trying to save the human populations. Ellis found that he no longer cared… especially considering that it was possible for Tom to lie.

"That's what happens when walls are put up between people."

"Yeah well I'm gonna break'em down. I'm sick a bein' held prisoner." Ellis' fist slammed against the wall, causing Nick to jump back. Ellis barely registered the spidery cracks that spread out around where his fist had hit.

"Whatever you're planning, Fireball, I'm in."

"Well I was thinkin-"Ellis began but was cut off, distracted by the arrival of Tom at his door.

"I'm sorry Ellis but it's time to see how progressive I've been with my research." Ellis barely caught Tom's words. "The reaction has taken ahold of your body and you need the counteractive of the virus or you might turn into something worse than the zombies."

Ellis faced Tom, hearing nothing but static while his vision grayed, heart pounding as the scientist gestured one of the hunters into his room. The hunter approached Ellis menacingly, a gleam in its eye before it pounced.

Ellis fought with it, struggling to keep it at bay. The hunter moved too quickly and Ellis let out a shout as the hunter sunk its teeth into his arm.

The hunter released its grip, licking blood from its lips before leaving. Tom shut the door but didn't leave. He watched as Ellis clutched at his arm, blood trailing between his fingers.

"I'm truly sorry, Ellis. One life for the greater good of all. I hope I'm not wrong in my theory." Tom watched for a few moments longer before leaving. Static seemed to fill Ellis' mind as he observed the bloody marks on his forearm. Somewhere in the distance he could hear Nick calling for him but he couldn't force himself to respond.

So this was it. After all he and his comrades had survived this was how it would end. And to think this is what he'd been avoiding… and it would still end the same. He could feel the anger leech away, replaced by a numb shock. His mind was sluggish and he was having trouble registering anything other than the red that dripped slowly down his arm.

Ellis wondered if the transformation would be painful and how long it would take. How much longer did he have to be human? The chances of the antidote working were slim to none and luck had never really been in his favor. Surely it would have been easier to have been someone who contracted the zombie virus and started the whole apocalypse instead of someone attacked by zombies or, like Nick and the others, temporary survivors.

Nick's heart was pounding furiously in his chest. Ellis had cut off from what he was saying… then there had been some thrashing and a shout of pain from Ellis. Nick could feel his body enter a full blown panic as he screamed at Ellis but got no response.

Throwing himself at the wall did nothing except make his shoulder sore. Nick glanced around the room, looking for anything he could use.

There was a chair in the corner that caught Nick's eye. He scrambled over to it, hefting it up and throwing it at the wall between Ellis and him. It crashed loudly, a leg cracking and coming loose. Picking it up again he bashed it against the wall repeatedly.

A hunter leapt at Nick, seemingly from nowhere as an outside voice shouted at him to calm down. Nick struck the hunter down with a blow from the chair before striking the wall again. The chair splintered and cracked in his hands but the wall showed signs of giving so Nick continued.

Cracks began to spread out where the wall began to cave and pieces of plaster fell away. Planks became visible and Nick did what he could to move those out of the way as well. Finally, brow dripping sweat, Nick made it to the last layer of plaster. The only divider between him-self and Ellis.

There was no warning when the wall crumbled down. Ellis stared at the hole, uncomprehending. Nick stared back, covered in dust. His eyes immediately traveled down to Ellis' arm. Nick felt his heart stop at the tooth-marks he saw there.

"Ellis…" Nick looked closely at Ellis' arm, wishing there was evidence against what had obviously happened. He'd even be ok with temporary insanity on Ellis' part and the mechanic biting himself… but the bite marks were on the wrong side of the arm for Ellis to have been able to inflict it. Besides that the marks were deeper, made by fangs built to tear into human flesh.

Nick let silence sweep over them as he found a sheet and began tearing it into strips. Dabbing at the blood still slowly leaking from Ellis and brushing away the parts that had begun to crust, Nick grabbed another clean strip and bound Ellis' arm.

Noticing the lack of recognition he was receiving from Ellis, Nick tried to catch his gaze. Ellis stared through him, seeing something far off… or maybe seeing nothing at all. Nick reached out to run his fingertips down the side of Ellis' face, wondering how to gain Ellis' attention.

Nick pulled Ellis to his feet, helping him over to the cot Ellis had been given and lying Ellis down. The mechanic's movements were robotic; it was like Ellis was running on auto. Wondering if it wouldn't just be best to leave Ellis alone and allow him to get some sleep Nick stared down at Ellis. The blank gaze focused on him a moment, Ellis' hand reaching out to grasp Nick's. Nick shook his head slowly, his self-preservation screaming at him to get the hell away from a possible infected. Nick swatted the thought away like an annoying fly and noticed Ellis' minute movements of scooting to the edge of the cot.

There was barely enough room for one person on a cot so Nick quickly left to grab his own cot, dragging it through the hole in the wall. He stopped, noticing the hunter he had struck down earlier still hadn't moved. Nick allowed the thought to cross that he might have given the hunter its second death. Shrugging in boredom Nick fought with his cot until it was next to Ellis and he could comfortably lie next to the kid. He got up one more time to go collect blankets and pillows before tucking Ellis in and curling up next to him.

A part of Nick knew that they still weren't safe… that the scientist still had one hunter and could leave them locked in these rooms until they starved but it seemed like such a small detail next to the fact that Ellis had been bitten. If the scientist had failed with the antidote…. And the possibility of it not being an antidote at all… Nick stared at Ellis, wondering what the kid must be going through. A firm grasp reached out and took Nick's hand and Nick allowed Ellis to hug his arm to the mechanic's chest.

"We are going to make it through this like we always do." Nick said matter-of-factly, brushing Ellis' curls off of his forehead. Even now Ellis hadn't lost that godforsaken hat and Nick could feel himself smiling. Ellis' eyes slipped closed and Nick watched as the mechanic's breathing evened out.

Nick made sure to keep one eye open while he relaxed, taking up a skill he had learned long before the zombie apocalypse hit. Gamblers wrack up a lot of enemies. Nick didn't really blame the saps, either. He'd have been pissed too if he got tricked out of a substantial amount of money.

Nick felt eyes on his back and strained to look through the door. Tom stood there quietly, watery eyes locking with Nick's and Nick realized the man had been crying.

"Guess it's not easy playing God." Nick growled. He was careful not to disturb Ellis but was loud enough for Tom to hear. Nick settled back down, listening closely to Tom. There was a soft thud and Nick craned his neck again, seeing Tom on his knees.

"I didn't want to." Tom said, pleading for Nick to understand. "If there was any other way… I just want to give our race a fighting chance…"

Nick swallowed thickly, looking at Ellis. Rage boiled in his veins but it wasn't completely at Tom. He understood what the scientist meant. Sacrifice the one for the many. Nick's only problem was why did it have to be Ellis?

"Have you done the same to Rochelle and Coach?"

"Not yet. I need to find out how Ellis reacts to the bite first."

"Why Ellis?"

There was a pause before Tom replied. "He is the strongest out of your group. Of anyone, he is most likely to survive. He understood."

"I wish you would have chosen me, instead." Nick said even though part of him argued with that. Did he really wish to be in Ellis' shoes?

"He asked me not to. He said you deserve a second chance." Tom said, trying to defend his actions. Nick felt those words like a lance through the heart. So that's why he had been left alone for the most part; no strange injections into his system.

"What are his chances…?" Nick's throat closed up and he couldn't complete his question. His eyes strayed back to Ellis, watching the sweat start to form on Ellis' brow.

Tom was still kneeling on the ground, eyes downcast. "What are the chances that you guys survived this far? Out of all the people who became infected and all those people who were bitten, what were the chances of you 4 escaping?"

Nick growled off hand. Those odds were not good… Nick would never bet money on such a low chance but he still was. He was betting his life on Ellis. "None of us would have escaped if we hadn't found each other."

"Funny how that works, isn't it? How we all seem to be linked together. I mean, out of all the places for you to end up you turn up at my doorstep."

"Our Mistake." Nick muttered. Even though he knew it wasn't _exactly_ Tom's fault, he also wasn't going to forgive the man for all he had put them through. There were several ways Tom could have gone about the whole business better. To be honest, he might have been one to fight but the other three, with their soft hearts, would have willingly sacrificed them-selves for the cause. If only Tom would have said something… it would have saved so much grief. That's still on the side that Tom really is trying to do what's right… Nick didn't let the thought of him being a traitor go. Some people were deceivingly good actors.

"I think it was meant to happen. I was ready to give up on an antidote but then you four were here. You've given the human race another chance."

Nick scoffed, scowling at the wall behind Ellis. "Yes, we survived through thick and thin zombie shit just to become lab rats. Fate is fucked up." Nick's gaze fell on Ellis and the scowl disappeared. "What good is saving the world if you lose amazing people in the process?"

Tom barely caught Nick's words, spoken soft enough that Nick may not have meant them for Tom's ears. "It's always the amazing people who are willing to give themselves up for the greater good. That's what makes them amazing."

"That would explain why our gene pool has spat out people like me." Nick muttered, venom lacing his words. Even now he didn't want to die, even when he could see what amazing really was and realize how far he was from being so. Not that it ever really bothered him before… but If Ellis was lost from this world it went that much farther downhill. Less worthy DNA in the gene pool… less good people… less reason to keep humanity alive.

"You shoul' give yerself more credit." Ellis crooned quietly, grinning weakly at Nick.

"Ace!" Nick said, pleasantly surprised. "How are you feeling."

"Pretty shitty, ta be honest." Ellis said, not moving around much. "Sorry 'bout all tha' Nick, didn' mean to go inta shock."

"Of all the things to apologize for, that's what you choose." Nick groaned inwardly, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. His other hand was still firmly gripped by Ellis.

"Well yeah. I didn' mean ta cause you worry." Ellis' voice was really rough, almost as if with sleep but growing steadily stronger.

"You two should get some rest." Tom said softly and Ellis nodded slightly. Nick wasn't sure if Tom had caught the movement or not so he gave Tom a 'shoo' gesture before stroking Ellis' cheek.

"Ya look like you jus' went through hell." Ellis attempted to joke.

Nick smiled softly. "You have no idea."

"So wha' are the chances a me makin' a full r'covery?" Ellis' expression was suddenly serious.

"I think that's up to you." Nick said softly. Ellis nodded, as if that's what he had expected to hear.

"I'll give it my best to make it through this Nick. Not jus' fer us, but fer all the people who are real sick righ' now an' all the kids an' everyone. Could you imagine if we found tha' antidote?"

"Knowing you Ellis, I don't doubt that this will all work out ok." Nick said, ignoring the clench of fear in his heart as he watched subtle changes appear. If he hadn't already drowned in the color of Ellis' eyes he probably wouldn't have noticed that they had lightened a few shades and his skin had grown a little paler. Silver veins stood out where blue should have been and Ellis had broken out into a feverish sweat. Nick pushed this all aside though. He had faith in Ellis… if anyone could make it through he would.

Nick let his mind wander to the negatives for a moment. He realized if Ellis didn't win this, the gambler was as good as dead. Before he would have cringed at the thought.. but then again the old him wouldn't have broken through a wall to reach a talkative hillbilly. And if he was honest, as much as Death scared him he'd take it over life without Ellis in a heartbeat.

Nick watched as Ellis dozed off once again, the slight glow that had started in his eyes blocked behind closed lids.

"I'm here for you Ellis. I'll always be here, just for you." Nick whispered, letting his eyes slip closed. Who knew what morning would bring… but if Nick had Ellis at his side he wasn't afraid to face anything. They may not win, no one wins forever, but at least they had each other.


	17. Losing Humanity

I really apologize for how long it's been taking me to get these chapters done and posted. Most of the time my reasoning is that I just get so engrossed in other activities… drawing and video games just don't seem to take quite as much brain power as writing. Regardless, it wasn't my reason this week. I lost someone really close to me and.. I lost my motivation to do anything for a while. Death is a really hard part of life. Anyway, I've gotten the next chapter underway in my mind and am anxious to write it down but first, homework. Hope this chapter is enjoyable and coherent

Chapter 17

When Nick opened his eyes in the morning all he could see was pale gold staring back at him.

"Ellis?" Nick asked softly. The pale eyes blinked as Ellis sat back a little. Gold, eerie, and strangely blank… those were the eyes to replace the sky blue Ellis had been owner of just the day before.

"Aw, kid." Nick simpered, his gut twisting in fear and sympathy. Ellis looked away, as if in shame. The silverfish hue to his veins had darkened to a charcoal black. His eyes had a bright glow, like low key flashlights, and his fingers were distinctly more claw-like.

Nick slowly reached out to Ellis but the mechanic shied away, sitting back on his haunches. He watched Nick, not as if Nick was going to attack him; more like Nick would be disgusted by him. Ellis still seemed to be himself thought-wise even though his appearance had changed.

"Can you speak?"

Ellis opened his mouth in answer and Nick saw that his teeth were sharper now, a more predatory set of chompers in place. Seeing that Nick got the idea Ellis shut his mouth, looking away. Nick didn't quite understand how Ellis' teeth prevented speech but he wasn't going to press the matter. There were more important things to worry about. Ellis emitted a low humming sound and Nick wondered how their group would fill the silence Ellis' rambling usually did. He wondered vaguely how the rest of the group was even doing…

Ellis was relieved to find Nick accepting him. He had been worried when he woke up to a new body- his first thought being 'ah shit, now Nick ain't ever gonna like me'. He had had a few hours to try and figure out what all had changed. He was having trouble keeping his back perfectly straight… to the point that when he accomplished it, it pained him. His hands ached where the joints had changed; the kind of pain that was an itch you couldn't quite reach. Ellis also vaguely wondered if he was now dead… or undead as the case may be. He wasn't really sure what to think about all that had happened but at least his brain was still the same… or he thought it was, anyway.

Ellis didn't feel any animalistic urges to attack Nick which he was thankful for. He did wonder to himself, though, if it was only a temporary relief.

Staring up at Nick Ellis questioned what would become of them. Had they really survived for this long only to become guinea pigs? If Tom found a cure that would save humanity… it would be worth it… right? Ellis fought to keep his thoughts in order but it seemed the harder he tried to think straight the more scrambled everything became.

Nick and Ellis sat in silence- Nick too lost in thought to speak and Ellis unable to form coherent words. The silence stretched on and on making Ellis restless. He began pacing the room, agitation coursing in his veins. He didn't like being confined… there was no way out, he was held prisoner.

Ellis fell into more of a crouch as he paced until he was walking on all fours, claws leaving small scratches on the floor. The motion helped but only a little, allowing some of the tension to leave his muscles while he mulled things over. His thoughts buzzed chaotically, each fighting another to be forefront in his mind.

Nick watched Ellis' movements, unease curling in his stomach. The more he watched the less certain he was that Ellis would be ok. Nick was doubting more and more that they would get out of here human, if they did make it out at all.

Nick reached out cautiously, unsure if his action would be taken as a threat or not. When he made contact with Ellis' shoulder the boy jumped, freezing before turning to look at Nick. Nick moved closer, crouching to Ellis' level and allowing curiosity to overtake his survival instinct.

Pressing a finger gently against Ellis' neck, he searched for a pulse point… wondering if Ellis was still technically alive or if he had become an undead. Ellis stared at the floor, unable to look at Nick when Nick was the picture of a healthy human.

Nick had to search for a short time but in the end he found a pulse point. It was slow with a rhythm that didn't match a human heart but thudded strongly beneath Nick's fingertips.

*Tha-Da-Thump … Tha-Da-Da-Thump … Tha-Da-Thump … Tha-Da-Da-Thump*

"Well Kid, whatever you are… you still have some semblance of a heartbeat. I wouldn't lose hope just yet." Nick said, hand slipping down to rest over Ellis' heart. A clawed hand came up and pressed Nick's hand closer, a soft humming coming from Ellis. Nick could feel the vibrations through the mechanic's chest and he understood why Ellis couldn't speak; his vocal chords were no longer as developed as a regular persons'.

Nick brought his free hand up to caress Ellis' face softly. He noticed that Ellis was significantly cooler…. But there was warmth where a blush rose on Ellis' cheeks and neck. It wasn't a rosy red blush anymore though… where blood rose to the surface the skin turned significantly darker, similar to a bruise but with no color.

"Aw Kid." Nick whispered again, tugging Ellis close, one hand still pressed to Ellis' irregular heart. Nick couldn't help the soft sob that escaped him. He couldn't imagine how Ellis was feeling right now. Couldn't imagine the kind of pain Ellis must be going through, both physically and mentally.

Ellis didn't make any noise for his part, just nuzzled in to Nick's neck. He had never heard Nick cry before… and that Nick was sobbing over him (albeit softly and with great restraint) made Ellis' heart fall to pieces.

It took Nick a couple tries but he got a strong grip on his emotions, preventing any tears from falling and halting any further sobs. Nick and Ellis remained unmoving, taking comfort in just being close. Ellis felt his thoughts calm for a while, the only real thing on his mind being Nick and if they'd be able to stay like this forever. Of course not, what was he thinking?

Tom arrived a short while later with a needle, asking for a sample of Ellis' blood.

Nick pulled away from Ellis, observing Tom coolly. "What's going on with him, doc?"

"The two viruses in him are at war." Tom replied. Nick was surprised Tom had taken the time to answer him. Ellis looked at the door with anger… even though, in a way, he had allowed this to happen (because really, what had he been expecting?).

"So what does that mean? You know… for his health?"

Tom's eyes were locked on Ellis as he approached the mechanic slowly. "Only time will tell. So far, so good, though."

Nick felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "This is Good?!" Nick growled, gesturing at Ellis.

"He hasn't killed you yet, has he?" Tom pointed out. The sharp words on Nick's tongue froze, his expression softening for a moment in thought. He glanced at Ellis who met his gaze.

"Yet? How long?"

"That depends on several factors. At best, Never. I have faith in him." Tom said while he drew a little blood from Ellis. The blood came out silver and Nick found it strange that something that was such a pure color could be sick and unnatural…. But then blood really wasn't supposed to be silver.

Having completed his task Tom turned to leave but paused, looking back at Nick.

"Would you like a new room?"

Nick's gaze met gold. He missed the blue already. A smart man would have chosen a new room but... Nick looked between Tom and Ellis, thinking through the pros and cons of both options.

Ellis watched Nick, wondering what the conman would do. Of course Ellis wanted him to stay but at the same time, Nick staying put his life in danger. Ellis didn't want to hurt Nick… he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

Ellis caught Nick's attention and gestured for him to follow Tom. Nick raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head; either in wonder or denial Ellis couldn't tell.

"No thanks Tom. I have faith in him too."

Tom gave Nick a sincere smile and shrugged before heading out the door. He paused once more, keeping his back to Nick and Ellis.

"You know, I think Ellis may be right about you." Tom said softly before shutting the door and disappearing down the hall.

"Great…. And I can't even ask what you've been telling the mad scientist about me." Nick shot a playful scowl in Ellis' direction.

Ellis grinned, showing off his predatory teeth. He jumped up so that he was now crouching on a bed, eyes level with Nick's.

"So what now?" Nick asked, flopping into a chair.

Ellis, being unable to really respond, just stared at him.

"You could at least have left us something to do." Nick called out to Tom, unsure if Tom could hear him or not. Apparently he had. A hunter returned, a couple of books held carefully in its jaws.

"Wonderful… Hunter slobber." Nick muttered, taking the books with a look of disdain. He shook the books, hoping to knock some of the slime off but seeing as that was futile he collapsed onto a cot, back resting against the wall.

Ellis watched in amusement while Nick settled in next to him, heaving a sigh before opening the book. Ellis mimicked his sigh, earning a smirk from Nick. Not entirely interested in reading Ellis felt his thoughts start to buzz angrily again.

Ellis looked around, worries flying around in his mind. He couldn't do anything about them under the circumstances and yet he couldn't help but dwell on his fear. Would he fully become a zombie? What if he killed Nick? Would he even feel remorse? Would he feel it coming on? What if it snuck up on -?

Ellis nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a touch at the back of his neck. Nick's hand had settled there, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into Elis' skin.

"Calm down, kid. You're going to give yourself a seizure or something."

Ellis just hummed in irritation, upset that he wasn't able to speak his mind.

Nick grinned at Ellis, aware of how much Ellis would be saying right now. He reached up and snagged Ellis' hat, setting it down next to himself. Ellis looked at the hat while Nick's fingers ran themselves through Ellis' hair. Deciding his hat was in no danger Ellis observed Nick settle in to reading his book again.

Feeling comfortable and sleepy all of a sudden Ellis glanced around for a comfortable spot to sleep. Spotting Nick's lap to be partially open Ellis flopped onto his side, his face landing on Nick's thigh. Nick flinched in surprise before shaking his head, moving his hand so that he could continue trailing his fingers through Ellis' hair.

Ellis hummed in content, curling into a ball. Nick noticed that Ellis' position was closer to dog-like than human-like, his spine starting to force him into a hunch. Nick's eyes strayed over Ellis' form, peaceful yet it was plain to see that it was also unnatural. Nick's fingers trailed down, over pale skin lined with black veins, before returning back to the soft brown curls framing Ellis' face.

At least his hair hadn't changed. Nick felt an ache at never seeing the deep blue eyes or farmer's tan that had been so much of Ellis. Obviously his character was still intact but it seemed to Nick that pieces of what defined Ellis were now missing

Ellis let out a soft snore and Nick smiled. Poor kid. He had gone through so much just to end up like this… but then at least he still had his humanity. For now.

Nick fixed his eyes back on his book and allowed the words to take his mind. Everything would work out. Nick crossed his fingers, just in case.

With the book in hand hours passed like minutes except when Ellis came back to his mind. Time would slow to a stop when Nick worried about the kid. Too many unanswerable questions would present themselves and Nick could almost feel his consciousness running in circles as he tried to figure out a solution.

Still, it seemed like a rather short time later Tom reappeared. Nick looked up, pausing in his movements. Ellis growled unhappily but didn't move, having no interest in interrupting his comfortable position.

"Yes?" Nick asked, barely concealing his annoyance. Ellis was still relaxed, head nestled in Nick's lap, look of content covering his face as Nick resumed stroking his hair.

There was an audible swallow from Tom before he answered. "I may be in need of Ellis' assistance."

"Why?" Nick made sure to appear cool and uncaring but his insides were twisting into knots. What could Tom need Ellis for? After having them locked up in here for so long it must be something pretty serious.

Tom paused, looking from Nick to Ellis before responding. "Your friends didn't react well to my experiments and I need help restraining them so that I can inject them with a new antidote."

Ellis was on his feet in an instant, knocking Nick's book out of his hands in his rush. His golden eyes glared accusingly at Tom, causing the scientist to shrink back.

"It's not my fault Ellis." Tom defended. "Not everyone takes to something the same…. And you seem to have an anchor in Nick that your friends didn't have… but I think I can fix it if you'd just help me."

"Is this new antidote going to help Ellis, too?" Of course Nick cared about Rochelle and Coach… how could he not after they had saved his butt so many times… but Ellis would always be at the front of his mind, the very top of his worry list. Funny… Nick used to be at the very top of his own worry list. When had that changed?

"It is possible… but I prefer not to test it on him since he appears to be in a stable middle state while the other two are losing their humanity."

Anger boiled inside of Ellis but he took a deep breath… letting emotions take control wouldn't be very helpful right now. Ellis nodded at Tom to open the door, making Tom smile gratefully.

"So… what….? Are you just going to leave me here?" Nick demanded, standing up. Tom looked surprised before he gave Nick a calculating look. Nick could almost see the gears turning in the scientist's head.

"No, you may accompany us if you wish." Ellis smiled at Nick as the conman followed him out. They had to pass Nick's room to get to Rochelle's and Nick noticed that the hunter he had knocked down earlier was no longer there. Maybe he hadn't finished him off… and at the moment Nick wasn't sure if that was good or bad. That left his mind, however, upon reaching Rochelle's room.

"A spitter? Babe, you could have done better than that." Nick commented as he watched green acid ooze down Rochelle's front. She growled at him, pale eyes staring through him. She looked much more like a zombie than Ellis did and her stare, although remaining somewhat intelligent, held no remorse or humanity any more.

Ellis whimpered, eyes glazing with tears ready to fall. Nick patted him consolingly and Ellis immediately enveloped him in a hug, burying his face in the gambler's shoulder.

"Ellis, we can still help them." Tom said softly, touching Ellis' shoulder. Ellis squeezed Nick tighter for a moment before releasing him and nodding to Tom. Ellis took a moment to really look at Rochelle… she was sickly pale but her mouth didn't gape open like other spitters. Instead the acid ran from the sides of her mouth like drool. Her form was also very similar to her regular human form instead of having saggy breasts or any of the other majorly unhealthy factors of a spitter.

Rochelle blinked a few times before focusing on Ellis. Green slime continued to ooze from her mouth but she let out a sad smile… possibly recognizing Ellis or maybe just glad to see one of her own 'kind.'

Tom opened the door and Ellis leapt through, taking Rochelle by surprise and knocking her to the ground. She struggled on reflex but Ellis had the better position and the fight was over before it began. Once Ellis had her pinned Tom ran in and stuck a needle full of violet liquid into her neck. Rochelle stopped struggling, falling limp as Tom finished injecting the liquid.

Standing up Tom wiped sweat from his brow and smiled tiredly at Ellis. "I don't believe your friend Coach will be that easy."

Tom gestured Ellis out. Ellis didn't move for a moment, looking down at Rochelle. He felt sadness sweep over him at the sight of her. He really hoped that Tom's antidote would help.

Instead of allowing his friend to lie face down on the floor where Tom had left her, Ellis hefted her up onto his shoulder. He could feel some of the acid slide down his shoulder as Rochelle drooled onto him. It burned like boiling water where the acid touched but Ellis ignored it in favor of setting Rochelle onto her cot. He took careful precautions to keep Rochelle's head hanging over the side so the acid wouldn't completely destroy the cot.

Fondly brushing hair out of Rochelle's eyes Ellis slowly left the room, wondering how Coach would be more difficult. Considering how simple Rochelle had been Ellis hoped it wasn't too much more difficult. He didn't want anyone getting hurt… especially not Coach when it wasn't even the older man's fault.

Ellis briefly glanced down at his shoulder to check the damage, using part of his damaged shirt to wipe away the acid that was still eating at his skin. His shirt was now in tatters, one shoulder missing. He felt his heart plummet… he had sincerely loved this shirt.

"Think he's become a Boomer?" Nick joked, poking Ellis as they headed to the next room over. Ellis glanced back at him, golden eyes glowing dangerously. Ellis couldn't begin to imagine how awful that would be… having to be careful enough not to set Coach off while avoiding vomit bombs… Ellis inwardly shuddered.

"I guess that's a no." Nick deadpanned as they made it to the next room. Ellis wasn't sure if Nick's reaction was to actually seeing Coach or Ellis' own response. Either way… Ellis felt his jaw drop upon seeing Coach.

"You'd probably be shouting about how Coach has been turned into the Hulk if you could." Nick said to Ellis who scoffed at him. Of all things Coach could have become he just had to become a Tank. Nick was probably right though, of all things Ellis would probably had been excited about Coach's resemblance to the Hulk… if he hadn't had to face off with him.

Ellis felt fear coil around his heart. He had to pin that down… that giant monstrosity that could probably squash him like a bug. Ellis swallowed convulsively, backing up and running into Nick.

"You doing ok, Ace?" Nick did not envy Ellis at the moment. He watched Ellis size Coach up… he was relatively smaller than a regular Tank but still large enough to do massive damage.

"Why don't we wait until he's sleeping?" Nick asked.

"It may be too late by then. To be sure it takes affect we need to give him the antidote Now." Tom answered. Nick nodded in understanding before turning to Ellis.

"Ready to do this?"

Ellis stared back at him, confused.

"Do you really think I'd let you have all the fun?" Translation: Nick wasn't going to let Ellis face that thing alone, despite his mastery of taking down Tanks.

"I'll be in as soon as you two have him down." Tom said, as if Nick helping had been the plan all along.

Nick nodded to Ellis and they opened the door, causing Coach to turn and look at them. He let out a roar before throwing a fist at Nick.

"Whoa there, big guy! I thought we were friends!"

Ellis huffed a laugh as he circled around behind Coach. Nick and Coach… friends… well maybe a little, in the light that they did save each other when they had to… but at the same time Ellis doubted they would stay in touch after this was all over. Proof of this was just how little they had spoken throughout the time being locked up in here. Ellis felt a wave of guilt at not talking to Rochelle and Coach more when he had the chance…

Nick attempted to keep Coach's attention but it was difficult to do that and stay out of Coach's reach in the cramped room. Coach hadn't even batted an eye at Ellis… again Ellis wondered if it had to do with him being partially infected as well or their relationship before. He liked to think of himself and Coach as being pretty close.

Coach kept going for Nick, almost having him once. Nick had to keep backing up; making his room to dodge smaller. Before Coach could really corner Nick Ellis leapt from behind, the force of his pounce pushing Coach forward. Coach landed with a huff, one arm catching Nick and knocking him down as well. In the next instance Tom was in, needle in hand, before Coach had time to try and get back up. Coach was out like a light in a matter of moments.

Nick let out a sigh of relief, wincing as he stood up. Helping Ellis sit the now unconscious Coach upright (he was just a little too big to put on the cot…) Nick pondered which zombie special he would have become. Ellis was either becoming a Jockey or a Hunter (Nick wasn't sure but he was voting Hunter because Jockey's were just… no). Rochelle was a Spitter and Coach was a Tank… the spitter only mildly surprised him but Coach being a Tank? He really would have taken Coach as more of a Boomer, a Charger at the most.

"Hey Ellis, which zombie do you think I'd become?" Nick voiced his thoughts, hoping a little input would help him figure it out. Ellis looked at him a moment… his expression reading 'seriously?' but he shook his head in acceptance.

Ellis tried to think of the best way to explain what he suspected Nick would become. Charades always seemed to work in the movies when the character couldn't talk! Ellis made sure he had Nick's attention before he went into a corner and pretended like he was sobbing before turning around and letting out a high pitched wail. It took a moment for Nick to catch on to what Ellis was doing but when he did he glared at Ellis.

"Really? A witch? Thanks so much Ellis." Nick's voice was flat and not amused in the slightest. Ellis just snickered and saluted. He was really starting to get the hang of conversing without words.

"Is Ellis ok?" Tom asked as they left Coach's room and Tom locked the door.

"Oh yeah, he's fine. He was just joking around." Nick was still unimpressed and shot another dirty look in Ellis direction. Ellis just grinned at Nick before staggering away, the hunch in his back making it difficult to walk.

"So back to lock up. How long until the antidote starts taking affect?" Nick asked, pausing to look at Rochelle. She was drooling less but maybe that was because she was asleep. Nick really couldn't tell much under the circumstances.

"I'm not sure." Tom admitted.

"I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that you weren't head of your department." Nick suggested snidely, feeling his mood plummet further. Great, they were stuck with an amateur. Ellis had put his life in the hands of a newbie.

Tom returned Nick's glare with a vicious one of his own. Nick watched him take a deep breath and exhale through his nose before changing the scowl to a pleasant smile. "You are wrong in that assumption."

"Then why aren't you sure?" Nick challenged. Tom all but shoved Nick in the room. Ellis bared his teeth at Tom before realizing what he was doing and backing up. Tom looked at Ellis in shock, giving him a wide girth as Ellis entered his room. Tom shut the door gingerly behind them before disappearing.

"Thanks for not answering my question! Real polite of you!" Nick called after him before grabbing his abandoned book. Nick sat down in a huff, glaring at Ellis.

"This is all your fault, you know." Nick growled at Ellis.

Ellis flinched, taken aback. He looked at Nick, eyes wide and full of pain. Nick bulldozed on, however.

"Why did you have to spare me? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I were one of you guys… you singled me out and now you three could die and where would that leave me? Did you think about that? You selfishly sacrificed yourself for my sake but you just screwed things up. The next time you want to do me a favor, Don't." Nick turned his back on Ellis, bringing the book so close to his face that the words blurred and he couldn't see anything else.

Ellis was frozen in shock, staring at Nick's back. His mouth opened and closed but nothing came out… not that it would have helped. It's not like he could say anything.

Had he really done wrong in trying to spare Nick? He thought he had been saving Nick… Ellis felt so confused. Wasn't Nick the one who always said he was a loner? Why would he suddenly care about staying with Ellis and the others? His head was killing him, pounding incessantly as he tried to absorb what Nick had said. A dark anger crept up on Ellis. He had the sudden urge to lash out at Nick.

How dare he blame Ellis for this. Nick had no idea what Ellis was going through… Ellis had saved the ingrate. Ellis had done what he felt was right by Nick. He had given Nick a second chance… and the man had the gall to complain about it. Ellis fell to the floor, gripping at his head as agony tore through it.

Nick didn't notice the turmoil Ellis was fighting through. He was completely absorbed in his own thoughts. He knew that what he said was a lie… Ellis had saved him. But it wasn't fair that he had to go through the pain of being alone. The pain of losing Ellis again… because Ellis had to go and be all noble.

Nick turned to look at Ellis, considering an attempt at an apology when he felt terror rip through him. Nick's book hit the floor with a thud while he scrambled away from the figure that had almost no resemblance to Ellis. The gold eyes had become black and the dark veins had become more pronounced.

The monster leapt at Nick, trapping him easily. Nick let out a shout for help but he knew Tom wouldn't help him, not if it would put his own mortality in danger. Nick stared up at Ellis… and saw no hint of the man he loved. It pinned him down easily and sharp fangs tore into his shoulder.

Nick let out a scream of agony, trying to jerk away from his attacker.

Ellis woke up staring at Nick, blood gushing from the gambler's shoulder. He could feel warmth in his mouth and liquid draining down his chin and he gagged in disgust. Falling backwards off of Nick he backed up as far as he could.

Nick clutched at his shoulder, blood dripping between his fingers. Black veins began to spiral out from the wound and Nick felt panic overtake him. He took it back. He took it all back… he didn't want this. He wasn't ready to die. They had made it so far…

Ellis had tears streaming down his face as he watched Nick. Ellis didn't notice when Tom appeared, short of breath.

"Oh Shit." Tom shouted, looking between Ellis' blood covered mouth and Nick's injured shoulder. He disappeared shortly, returning with another one of his needles, shoving Nick's hand out of the way and plunging the needle into Nick's wound. Nick gasped in pain, jerking away from Tom. The needle fell from Tom's grasp and shattered on the ground.

"Nick!" Tom said in exasperation, keeping one eye trained on Ellis. Ellis watched in pained silence. He wanted to say sorry… he wanted to make Nick see Ellis hadn't done it on purpose. He had lost control…. He had blacked out. Ellis wanted Nick to know that he would never hurt him…. But all that came out was a whine.

Tom looked down at the ruined needle before looking at Nick steadily. He wasn't sure whether to take the risk of bringing Nick with him or leaving Nick here and taking the risk of Ellis attacking him again. In the end he decided that losing Nick wasn't as awful as losing his own life… because without Nick… well one less experiment but without himself there would be no hope for a cure.

"I'll be back." Tom said finally, running out of the room. Nick looked at Ellis, afraid that Ellis might pounce again. He saw tears streaming down Ellis' face, blood wiped hastily from the mechanic's lips. Standing up he realized that this was his fault… and Ellis was once again suffering because of him.

Nick crouched in front of Ellis and Ellis shrank back, unsure of what Nick was going to do. That last thing he expected was for Nick to whisper "I'm Sorry."

Ellis looked up at him, tears slowing as Nick pulled him close.

"I'm so, so sorry Ellis." Nick murmured into Ellis' hair. Ellis shuddered against him, sobs shaking out of him. Apparently Nick was going to get his wish… How had he lost control?

"Goddammit you idiot." Tom called. Nick wasn't sure who he was talking to… Ellis or him. "He just bit you and now you're hugging him."

Nick felt himself tugged back. Ellis didn't let go and fell on top of him. Tom roughly dragged Ellis off before grabbing Nick roughly by the arm and hauling him up until Nick was sitting on the bed again.

"Now Stay Still." Tom said and Nick looked away. Tom froze in his movements. It took Nick a moment to notice but when he did, he turned to look at Tom. Tom was staring at his shoulder and, fearing the worst, Nick turned to look. The black veins were gone.

Shock struck Nick and he reeled away from Tom again.

"What does this mean?" Nick said, gesturing at his shoulder which was still gushing blood in steady rivulets but otherwise completely normal. Tom swallowed thickly before he looked back at Nick.

"You're immune." Tom whispered. Nick felt his jaw drop, eyes going as round as saucers. Ellis' head shot up, his look matching Nick's.

"Care to repeat that?" Adrenaline still coursed through Nick's body and he was afraid he had heard that wrong.

"You're immune. To both my virus and the plague affecting the world. Your blood is the cure… we have the chance to save humanity." Tom's knees gave out and he fell to the floor, staring at Nick in amazement and wonder.

"Huh… what are the odds." Nick said, his brain falling back on his defenses as it tried to register this information. Out of everyone in the world… it just so happened that he was immune to the disease… And out of all the people to end up in a lab… and yet he was the one that hadn't been experimented on because of Ellis. To think… Ellis now had the chance to be normal again. Wait… that is what this meant, right?

"So… you can formulate something to turn Ellis back to normal now, right?" Nick asked, his gaze straying past Tom and finding Ellis. The mechanic was staring back at him, golden eyes glimmering with excitement and wonder.

After everything Ellis had been through with Nick he never would have thought Nick would be the answer to saving humanity. Sure, Nick had saved him on countless occasions but… everyone? Ellis could just about feel his brain short circuit as it tried to process all this information.

"I'm not a scientist if I can't." Tom said seriously, looking at Nick. The two sized the other up before nodding.

"Do you think you could prevent me from bleeding to death, first?" Nick asked. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off he could very clearly feel the burn of the bite.

"Oh. Right." Tom said, sounding flabbergasted. He whistled and two hunters appeared at the door.

"I'd appreciate if one of you could run and grab me a medical kit." Tom said politely. They nodded and left together.

"This shirt has been through a lot with me. It's almost sad that I won't be able to keep it after this." Nick said, his walls thrown up as he tried to figure out what the hell just happened. He woke up to find Ellis not really Ellis anymore and his other associates infected. He had been pissed that Tom didn't seem to know what he was doing. He had been mad at Ellis because Ellis was suffering and there was nothing Nick could do about it. Unwisely he had taken it out on Ellis and Ellis had bitten him. For a while it looked like Nick was on his way to being infected as well but then the signs of infections disappeared leaving Tom to believe that Nick was immune… And now he was a hope for humanity. What a crazy day.

Nick wasn't sure whether this was Karma or Irony. He didn't have much longer to think about it because the next instant there was a very real weight in his lap, arms wrapped snugly around his neck.

"Well hello to you." Nick mumbled in amusement. Ellis nuzzled his neck, soft sounds pressed into Nick's skin. Nick noticed a bright red blush cross Tom's face and decided that now may be the best time to interrogate the scientist.

"So what's the story with your lap dogs?" Nick asked, noticing that Tom's face reddened further at that.

"It's a rather complicated story." Tom mumbled, averting his eyes from Nick and Ellis.

"Yes?" Nick nudged, resting his chin on Ellis' shoulder and watching Tom.

"They're the survivors of our experiments." Tom said softly. Nick almost couldn't hear him… and he wondered if Tom was ashamed to be sharing this information. What had these scientists been up to?

"Ok…" Nick pushed again. The two hunters appeared again, a medical kit hanging from one's jaws. Tom took the kit gratefully before opening it and beginning his ministrations. Ellis shifted so that he was out of the way mostly but he refused to leave Nick's lap, face remaining safely nestled against Nick's neck. Nick shrugged to say 'just go with it.' to Tom.

"Our lab was created to study swamp life. We were delving into the diseases that the swamp people caught and working on ways on fixing that. No, we did not start the plague." Tom quickly added when Nick gave him a calculating look.

"We didn't start working on the plague until a week after the initial outbreak. We were given people to test to try and find a cure. Every time we tried to cure the disease… our patients' systems would fizzle out and die or they would remain infected."

"So you were working on regular humans as well?" Nick prompted. The wound in his arm was a gouge so there was no way to stitch it. Instead Tom gently placed gauze over the wound, after cleaning it out, and wrapping it.

"Yes…" Tom said. His figure slouched and he looked defeated. "These two were the only two that came close to a cure. They weren't quite human anymore… they seem to have mentalities closer to dogs. But they weren't dangerous… and when all the other scientists either became sick or fled… well they were the only company."

"You can't really expect me to believe you were noble enough to stay when everyone else left…"

"I don't really expect anything of you, Nick." Tom said coolly. "I don't really care whether you believe me or not. I gave you my answer… whether you believe it is your problem."

"Well why did you stay?" Nick asked. He wondered where all these questions were coming from… he wasn't usually one to ask. Maybe subconsciously he was trying to make up for Ellis. This all was giving him such a headache. Nick pinched the bridge of his nose while waiting for Tom to answer.

"My wife is infected." Tom said softly. "If I can find a cure I can save her."

Nick felt more than heard Ellis hum in approval. Nick decided it was sickeningly sweet and reminded him of so many of the zombie horror movies he had seen. Maybe there was true love out there somewhere.

"So what were you doing before we got here?" Nick persisted, wanting to make sure there were no missing pieces in the puzzle.

"Looking for survivors… keeping the underground crops alive… continuing with the experiments that I could. I had plenty to do before you guys arrived." Tom explained. None of this really surprised Nick. Governments always seem to have back up plans, and back up plans for their back up plans. Nick used to think it was ridiculous… now all he could do was nod his head in wonder because for once, it worked.

"So what do you know about CEDA?" Nick finished, asking the most crucial question in his opinion.

"The last I heard from them they had a safe haven for survivors and they were working on plans to eliminate the plague from spreading further." Tom said, shrugging. "I haven't heard from them in a long time though… communications cut off several weeks ago."

"Huh… I wonder what it'll be like being around people again." Nick thought out loud, speaking mostly to himself.

"You want to leave? When there is food and safety here?" Tom asked in confusion.

"I hadn't really considered that…" Nick answered honestly. "Are you offering us a permanent home? And I mean a home where you aren't experimenting on us…"

"With your blood I won't need to experiment anymore." Tom replied, standing up. "Speaking of which, I'm going to have to wait until your wound heals a bit. You lost too much blood today for me to really start anything really soon." Tom sounded a little more cold and distant as he headed toward the door. Maybe Nick was just imagining it though.

"Food will be brought to you shortly." Tom called as the door locked behind him.

Ellis perked up a little at the mention of food but then glanced at Nick and felt a wave of shame sweep over him. Ellis brushed his lips against Nick's jaw in apology.

"It was my fault, kid. Don't worry about it." Nick said, stroking Ellis' back lovingly.

"Did you just pur?" Nick accused in amusement. Ellis jumped back, a dark blush covering his face. He refused to meet Nick's eyes and shrugged in way of answer.

"I don't know if I should be worried about being turned on by that." Nick said mostly to himself, shaking his head. He hoped he broke the habit of speaking out loud once Ellis could speak again. It was just too damn quiet without the kid.

Ellis looked at Nick with new found interest. He cuddled in close to Nick, nosing his way up the conman's jaw.

Nick pulled back a little, stopping Ellis from continuing. "No… Nu Uh. I am not having sexy times with you like this."

Ellis raised an eyebrow at him and Nick looked away. He could read everything in Ellis' looks now… Ellis was very clearly questioning what was wrong with him because since when did Nick ever turn down a chance to release sexual tension? Also, when did he ever turn down _Ellis_? Answer… never. But something felt off with Ellis like this… Nick was also a little afraid of suddenly becoming tainted and his blood no longer being the cure.

Ellis' amused gaze left him as he noticed Nick's serious expression. He moved to slip off Nick's lap but Nick stopped him, grabbing Ellis' hips to prevent escape.

"Can we not cuddle just because sex is out of the picture?" Nick asked, deciding that sticking to his first plan was best. Sex… as appealing and fun as it was… just didn't fit into the zombie Ellis scenario.

Ellis stopped squirming away and settled back against Nick. Nick shifted back until he was leaning against the wall.

"Huh… it's only probably about midday and yet I'm exhausted." Nick said, trying to fill the silence. He had never realized what a job it was… though granted, a lot of silences that Ellis had attempted to fill while they were out on the zombie hunt were moments that needed to be silent. It's never good to be distracted when sound can be the only warning before an attack … but when there were no dangers and no sounds to speak of…. Silence was not such a good thing.

Nick found he was really gaining some sort of fetish with Ellis' hair when he realized he was, once again, running his fingers through it. Ellis purred again; Nick wasn't sure if on purpose or accident. It was such a strange sound… similar to a cat's purr but not quite… having more of Ellis' smooth voice in it.

"You know, I realize randomly how hard it is to try and describe a sound with words. I mean sure we can say things like 'loud' and 'quiet' but when we actually try to describe a sound we have to use examples." Nick explained to Ellis who nodded, showing he was listening. Nick wasn't sure why he was rambling about things he noticed… but seeing as he couldn't quiz Ellis on his life and didn't much want to talk about his own…

"I remember how some people would attempt to do psychological experiments on things like that. Of course the ones I caught were about color but they're relatively the same, although color is a part of sight which is a dominating factor in our lives."

Ellis was riveted. He had never really considered trying to explain a sound before… Yet Ellis wasn't really surprised that this would be one of Nick's musings. As empty as he tried to act there were cracks in his show… and slowly Ellis was starting to catch slip ups.

"You know something that occurred to me before?" Nick said softly. Ellis shook his head in answer, unsure of what Nick could be thinking.

"What if colors are different for everybody… but because we all grew up calling it a certain name we don't realize we see them differently because we can't explain a color."

Ellis looked up at Nick, an expression of 'that's just a little far-fetched'. Red was warm and blue was cold… and how could any other version of colors be possible… he couldn't picture yellow being called blue and being cold. Plus, how would you explain the sun being bright and happy if it was purple? And the sky just couldn't be anything but blue.

"I can see that you disagree with my theory." Nick said, extremely entertained by the look of concentration on Ellis' face. "Oh what you'd say if you could."

Ellis grunted in agreement. This would have to be something that he'd have to bring up later… and then a notion hit Ellis. He was going to be able to talk again… and the strange thing was he had never questioned being able to talk again eventually. But now that he was pretty much absolutely going to be able to… he was realizing just how long life would become if he couldn't speak.

"Your expressions are strangely easy to read…" Nick muttered softly, once again speaking his mind. Ellis' eyes met Nick's and he smiled. He really wanted to ask 'so what am I thinking now' but of course, all that came out was some sort of mumble growl.

One of the hunters slipped in, setting two trays on a table before slipping back out. Nick sat up a little but felt too tired to actually get up and get it. He felt sleepier than he was hungry… so maybe after a nap he would eat. Nick looked back at Ellis who seemed just as unwilling to move.

"You know… I'm looking forward to seeing your eyes again… and hearing your voice." Nick let slip. He looked away from Ellis in shock, feeling he had said way too much. Ellis looked at him in surprise. What was wrong with his eyes? Other than… well they had become a little harder to see through but… Ellis hadn't really paid it much attention.

"Right… you wouldn't have seen your eyes to know. Well… they aren't pale like the other zombies we've seen. They're kind of gold and glowy, similar to a Hunter's but yours have more life somehow." Nick said, observing Ellis' eyes yet again. Upon Ellis' look at Nick's use of the word 'glowy' Nick added, "And yes, Glowy isn't a proper grammatical word, I am aware."

Ellis shrugged. At least Nick knew. Ellis' momma had always taught him to use proper grammar. It hadn't actually worked… as soon as he started hanging out with Keith all that training went out the window but he was still pretty good at calling other people out on it.

"You really are something else, Ellis. You probably realize that but I'm going to remind you because I can."

Nick's rambling was starting to lose coherency or relevancy as he continued to talk. Ellis listened regardless, enjoying the sound of Nick's voice. Most of the time he got to listen to his own voice so it was a nice change to hear Nick's.

"Are you thinking of wanting to stay here after we get this whole cure thing figured out?" Nick asked, a sudden thought striking him. What were they going to do after they figured out a cure… would they have to stick around? Would they want to?

Ellis shrugged in way of answer. He sort of wanted to rejoin society and find out if Keith and Dave were alright but at the same time safety and food were here. Would he really want to face the zombies again after living so long without? It was amazing how easy it was to turn soft.

"It's kind of strange to remember there's a world outside of here… I've gotten so used to how this all works." Nick continued. "I don't really want to be around other people… don't really have anyone to worry about or to have worry about me. I might stay."

Ellis stared at Nick a moment before gingerly curling his clawed fingers around Nick's hand. Giving it a light squeeze Ellis looked at Nick pleadingly, making sure his eyes were large and very like a puppy dogs'.

"I'm not saying I would leave you. I said 'might.' And I figured if I told you this now, maybe you'd be ready to stay here with me if I did stay. It was just something I was considering… obviously there is nothing set in stone."

Ellis looked at Nick, considering. If Nick stayed, could he? Obviously he technically could but would he? Would he want to? As much fun as killing zombies are and as nice as it is to remain safe from this apocalypse… did he want to give up reincorporating his life into society. Ellis ultimately wanted to settle down with a family… or at least he had back before the whole apocalypse business started.

Ellis took a moment to reflect. What did he want… what did he plan on doing if they made it out of this zombie nightmare? He had thought about it here and there but ever since the plague hit the only thing Ellis had worried about was finding other people and surviving. Did he want to build a family in this kind of world? Well… if they had found a cure… maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Many people would probably die from the wounds they'd sustained as the undead when returned to normal. Unless the cure had some other power of healing then to bring the humanity back to the zombies.

Ellis could feel his thoughts wander and stray and realized it would probably be good to get some sleep. Today had been stressful and all he wanted to do was curl up next to Nick and sleep for a while. There wouldn't be any certain decisions for a little while considering Nick needed some time to heal before Tom could do any experimenting.

Nick noticed Ellis' faraway look and felt weariness pull at him as well. Gently prodding until he and Ellis were lying on the cots Nick softly kissed Ellis' neck and whispered goodnight. It wasn't long before both men were out like lights.


End file.
